A PLETHORA OF TEFL GAMES

CONTENTS
VOCABULARY.................................................................................................................5
AUNT BETTYS CAT....................................................................................................5
DICTIONARY DIRECTIONS........................................................................................5
IM LOOKING FOR...................................................................................................6
LEXANTHROPY............................................................................................................6
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL............................................................................6
WO/MAN FROM PLANET X........................................................................................6
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT............................................................................................6
POSTCARD TO MARS..................................................................................................7
TRIANGLE TRIAL.........................................................................................................8
PREPOSITIONS................................................................................................................8
MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO......................................................................................8
FROM SIR, WITH LOVE...............................................................................................9
WORD GAMES AND SPELLING..................................................................................9
ALLITERATION.............................................................................................................9
PANGRAMS AND SUCH..............................................................................................9
G-H-O-S-T.....................................................................................................................10
WORD GAMES AND GRAMMAR..............................................................................11
COMMON GROUND...................................................................................................11
EL CONDOR PASO......................................................................................................11
FAMOUS LAST WORDS.............................................................................................12
TEN CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR................................................12
SOUL MATES...............................................................................................................12
RUNTOGETHERS........................................................................................................13
NEIGHBOURS..............................................................................................................13
NICE PEOPLE..............................................................................................................14
GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES................................................................................14
THE BEST SENTENCE...............................................................................................14
DOUBLE OR QUITS....................................................................................................15
DECAPITATED SENTENCES.....................................................................................15
GRAMMAR TENNIS...................................................................................................16
KLEPTOMANIA...........................................................................................................16
THE DICE AND GRID GAME....................................................................................17
GRAMMAR HORSES..................................................................................................18
MEMORIZING STRUCTURES...................................................................................19
THE SHOUT IN THE CIRCLE....................................................................................19
THE MONEY GAME...................................................................................................20
PEOPLE USED TO BELIEVE.................................................................................20
OLLY-OLLY-AUCTION-FREE....................................................................................21
STUDENT, CORRECT THYSELF!.............................................................................21
PRESENT PERFECT POEM........................................................................................22

RATING WRONGNESS...............................................................................................22
RIGHT THAT SEEMS WRONG AND WRONG THAT SEEMS RIGHT...................23
SNAP!............................................................................................................................23
A TENSE STORY.........................................................................................................24
THREE FROM SIX.......................................................................................................24
TRANSLATION: CALL MY BLUFF...........................................................................24
TIC-TAC-GO!...............................................................................................................25
WE ARE FURNITURE.................................................................................................25
WHATS THE TIME (ITS TIME TO GET ILL).........................................................26
TRUST US, WERE EXPERTS....................................................................................26
VERBS TO STORY......................................................................................................27
WORDS TO STORY.....................................................................................................27
SILENT WAY...................................................................................................................28
SILENT SENTENCES..................................................................................................28
EXPAND.......................................................................................................................28
EXPAND AND CONTRACT.......................................................................................29
GIVE MEANING..........................................................................................................29
THE MARIENBAD GAME..........................................................................................29
RUB OUT AND REPLACE..........................................................................................30
SILENT SENTENCE....................................................................................................30
WITH YOUR BACK TO THE CLASS........................................................................30
YOUR WORDS, MY GRAMMAR..............................................................................31
SPEAKING/ROLE-PLAYING.......................................................................................31
ACCUSATION..............................................................................................................31
ALIBI.............................................................................................................................31
ALL IN THE FAMILY..................................................................................................32
THE BALLOON GAME...............................................................................................32
CHEZ ANGLAISE........................................................................................................33
THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS.............................................................................33
DEAR ABBEY..............................................................................................................33
DIAL E FOR ENGLISH................................................................................................34
DINNER AT ZERO-G...................................................................................................34
FORWARD INTO THE PAST......................................................................................34
DISCUSSION A LA CARTE........................................................................................35
THE DREADED RED SPOT........................................................................................36
A FRIEND INDEED.....................................................................................................36
LOVE ME/HATE ME...................................................................................................36
MEMORY LANE..........................................................................................................36
MAROONED ON MAHI-MAHI-MAU-MAHI...........................................................37
AN OCTOPUS GARDEN............................................................................................37
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST.........................................................................................37
THE RETURN OF THE WO/MAN FROM PLANET X.............................................37
MORGENSTERN MONTHS.......................................................................................37
ROACH MOTEL...........................................................................................................39
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.......................................................................................39
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.......................................................................................39
SUPERSTITION...........................................................................................................41
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT........................................................................................41
2

WO/MAN IN THE STREET.........................................................................................42

THERES NO PLACE LIKE HOME............................................................................42
WRITING.........................................................................................................................43
CHAIN STORY.............................................................................................................43
DEAD LETTER OFFICE..............................................................................................43
ELEVATOR RACES.....................................................................................................43
HELLO DALI................................................................................................................43
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE............................................................................................44
JABBERWOCKY..........................................................................................................44
A PICTURES WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS......................................................44
SPIDER STORIES........................................................................................................44
WE LEARN...................................................................................................................45
WRITING/TRANSLATION...........................................................................................45
COLLABORATION......................................................................................................45
HALF IS BETTER THAN NONE................................................................................46
PRESENT PERFECT POEM........................................................................................46
WHAJYASAY?.............................................................................................................46
MINI-RECIPES...............................................................................................................46
MINI-PROJECTS...........................................................................................................47
THE AMBASSADORS.................................................................................................47
EDISONS LEGACY....................................................................................................47
A LADS DIM LAMP...................................................................................................47
THE CRYSTAL BALL COMMITTEE.........................................................................48
WE THE PEOPLE.........................................................................................................49
EXQUISITE CORPSE..................................................................................................49
SONNETS-R-US...........................................................................................................50
FSW FIND SOMEONE WHO...................................................................................51
MOTHER THERESAS SHOES...................................................................................51
THE UNEXAMINED LIFE..........................................................................................52
PLOT/COUNTERPLOT...............................................................................................52
PROJECTS......................................................................................................................53
DANGEROUS JOURNEY...........................................................................................53
THE ENGLISH ARTS CENTER..................................................................................53
GREENVALE 2055.......................................................................................................54
ON A SOAPBOX..........................................................................................................54
THE SIX OCLOCK NEWS.........................................................................................54
WITNESS THE EXPERT.............................................................................................54
ONE WORLD IS ENOUGH (FOR ALL OF US).........................................................55
TRAVEL AGENT 007...................................................................................................55
SPIN DOCTORS...........................................................................................................56
TREASURED ISLAND................................................................................................57
USING THE SENSES TO MAKE SENSE...................................................................57
METHODS IN THE CLASSROOM.............................................................................58
A TRICK FOR ARTICLES..................................................................................................58
SOUND SITUATIONS........................................................................................................58
3

MAGAZINES................................................................................................................58
Info Scavenger Hunt..................................................................................................58
Lying..........................................................................................................................58
USING HOMEWORK/REVIEWING RECENT WORK.............................................59
From Pattern to Poem...............................................................................................59
LARGE GROUPS LITTLE OR NO PREP TIME......................................................59
Reading Passages From Text....................................................................................59
Free Associations......................................................................................................59
Hot Seat.....................................................................................................................59
No Chalk, No Talk.....................................................................................................60
VIDEO...........................................................................................................................60
VARIOUS AND HANDOUTS........................................................................................61
ENGLISH IS TOUGH STUFF...........................................................................................61
ODE TO THE ENGLISH PLURAL....................................................................................62
ENGLISH ERRORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD...............................................62
A SELECTION OF HORROR MISTAKES..............................................................65
TWO HALVES OF A WHOLE.....................................................................................66
BUS ROUTES...............................................................................................................68
CHINAMPA FARMING...............................................................................................69
LETTER SORTING......................................................................................................71
WINE MAKING...........................................................................................................73
CINEMA AND TELEVISION......................................................................................75
ENERGY CONSUMPTION.........................................................................................76
BIG BEN.......................................................................................................................77
CHRISTOPHER WREN...............................................................................................78
ANALOGIES................................................................................................................79
THE PORT OF WYE.....................................................................................................82
SOUND MAZE 1..........................................................................................................83
SOUND MAZE 2..........................................................................................................84
TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE......................................................85
THE SLAVE TRADE....................................................................................................86
TREASURE!.................................................................................................................87
CINDERFELLA............................................................................................................89
TALES FROM THE LAND OF PLENTY....................................................................90
SOME SUPERSTITIONS.............................................................................................91
JABBERWOCKY.............................................................................................................100
Glossary...................................................................................................................101
VAHLAV......................................................................................................................103
TLACHAPOUD...............................................................................................................104
WORKSHEET ONE.................................................................................................105
WORKSHEET TWO................................................................................................106

VOCABULARY
AUNT BETTYS CAT
Explain noun, verb, adjective and adverb.
Write the following on the board: Aunt Bettys Cat is a/an ________ cat. Below that write the
entire alphabet in columns:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I

J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R

S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Students take turns coming up with an adjective that starts with a letter (go in order, A, B, C, etc.),
and then repeats previous adjectives in reverse order in the proper place in the sentence. You
write the words on the board as they come up with them. Words do not need to make sense in
relation to a cat, but they need to be real words.
Example: Student 1 Aunt Bettys cat is an aggressive cat.
Student 2: Aunt Bettys cat is a brown, aggressive, cat.
The last student will say all 26 adjectives.
Hints for K = kind, kooky, kosher, khaki, knowledgeable
X = xenophobic, xenophile
Z = zany, zealous, zestful, zodiacal
Homework suggestion: have students choose 10-12 words, and they come up with the noun, verb,
and adverb forms of the chosen adjectives. Use them in sentences.
DICTIONARY DIRECTIONS
Dictate or write on board:
Its got more letters than
Its got fewer letters than
Its the same length as
Back a bit.
The first letter is right.

Its earlier in the dictionary than

Its later in the dictionary than
Its further on
Forward a bit.
The first two/three/four letters are right.

Explain that you are leaving the room, the class must choose a word from the dictionary, then
youll come back and try to guess what it is. The class guides you using the phrases above. Once
you have guessed 1 or 2 words, reverse the roles so you choose and they guess. The break them
into pairs or groups and they continue with each other.
Possibly write/dictate prompt questions such as Is it later? or It is longer?

IM LOOKING FOR
In pairs, students discuss what sort of shops they might find the following in (could be any items
make sure the list is a mixture of nouns that use articles and those that do not):
-shoelaces
-a watch
-airmail envelopes
-a second-hand guitar
-a pair of handmade cowboy boots
-a set of wine glasses

-an electric shaver

-a pair of left-handed scissors
-a screwdriver
-a gold toothpick
-a diamond ring
-a box of chocolate-covered cherries

Class into groups. One group play the shopkeepers and the other the customers. Switch roles.
LEXANTHROPY
Students choose several nouns from their heads/a list/the dictionary. You write them on the board
in 2 columns, but not in any particular order. Students describe the properties of the word from
the first column and then the word from the second column as if it has the properties of the word
from the first column.
Example: ball and book students describe a balls properties, then describe a book that is
like a ball (it bounces, is waterproof, it round, etc.).
Option: Students then write ads for the 2nd column noun with properties from the 1st column
noun. In the above example, theyd write an ad for a book that is like a ball.
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
Students take turns describing famous people and the others try to guess whom they are
describing. Once everyone has had a go, students then write down a description of someone in
the class (could be themselves). They then redistribute the descriptions and read them aloud,
while the others try to guess who is being described. Allow use of dictionaries.
Option: For the personal descriptions, could be more than just physical characteristics. This
could, however, backfire and prove embarrassing for the student being described.
WO/MAN FROM PLANET X
Class in small groups or pairs. 1 person is from Planet X and doesnt understand anything about
life on Earth so they ask questions from their own heads/a list/the dictionary such as what is a
car? or what is a politician? or what is jogging? The other students, the Earthlings, try to
describe the objects, places, actions, etc. Switch roles after a couple of successful explanations.
Class could be in 2 groups, 1 of Aliens and 1 of Earthlings. Switch roles.
Option for more advanced students: Earthlings ask questions about life on Planet X.
Homework suggestion: past tense practice students write a report of their encounter with the
Aliens (they asked what a pizza was, we told them it was a delicious food from Italy, etc.).
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Students describe the contents of rubbish bins in various countries, e.g. Germany, Mexico, the
US, Russia, Japan, etc. Could draw pictures.

POSTCARD TO MARS
Class into pairs or small groups.
Handout the following:

Explain that this is a postcard home from a Martian who was visiting Earth. The Martian is
writing about life here on Earth but from a Martian perspective. The students try to figure out
what the Martian is talking about.
You may give hints along the way to help as needed.
Once they are finished, discuss the Martians perceptions as a class. What things didnt the
Martian understand? Can the class put those misunderstandings into categories? What do the
Martians perceptions tell us about life on Mars?
Do they think the Martian is a man or a woman? Who is s/he writing to?

KEY and Hints:

There are 34 lines in 17 couplets below each couplet will be listed as 1, 2, 3, etc.
1 , 3. Caxton is the Englishman who invented the printing press in England independently of
Gutenberg. His mechanical birds are books.
2. eyes to melt = tears; body shriek with pain = laughter
4. soft machine = cloud, fog
6. Here the Martian is describing puddles reflecting light and images
7. Model T = automobile
8. film to watch for anything missed = rearview mirror
9. watch and clock
10, 11 = telephone (in England, phones make a sort of snoring sound for a dial tone)
12. tickling it with a finger = dialing
13. youngsuffer openly = children laughing
13, 14, 15 = the restroom
16, 17 when the colours die = twilight/dusk/night, hide in pairs = going to bed, read about
them selves= dreams
For lower level students, you could write the words in bold above on the board and have them try
to find where the Martian references these things.
TRIANGLE TRIAL
Explain geometric shapes. Explain syllable. Write various topics on the board. Students
divide into 2 or 3 teams. They must form syllabic triangles in each topic/category. Score 1 point
for each line if the triangle. Team with most points wins.
Example:
COLOUR
1
Red
2
Yellow
3
Magenta
4
Aquamarine
(4 points)

CATEGORIES: Fruit, Vegetables, Languages,

Cities (over 100,000 people), Countries, Plants,
Animals, Professions, Musical Instruments,
Weather Terms, Sports, School Subjects,
Governmental Terms, etc.

Triangles must be in order, they cannot jump from a 2-syllable word to a 4-syllable word without
a 3-syllable word first.
Homework suggestion: students choose (a number of) words and use in sentences.
PREPOSITIONS
MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO
You perform a series of complicated actions. The students then repeat back what you did using
prepositions of place (on the chair, under the table) and time (after you were on the chair you
were under the table). After 2 or 3 successes, students then come up with a series of actions for
the teacher to perform. Then they do the same for each other.

FROM SIR, WITH LOVE

Class stands in a circle. Throw an object (a soft ball or wadded newspaper) to a student and say
your name. Tell students to toss the object to each other, saying their name and whom they are
throwing it to. Student catching says whom it came from and that it came to them.
Example: Student A (Bob): From Bob to Sarah.
Student B (Sarah): From Bob to me.
Go around the circle like this until they are comfortable with it, then vary the prepositional
patterns.
Examples:
From A to B for C (upon catching, Student B says From A to me for C and then tosses it to C,
who says From A and B to me.)
From A to B via C

behind Cs back

through Cs legs

over Cs head

across the floor

round the circle (handing from person to person)

clockwise/counterclockwise round the circle

Option: start circle very close together 1 bad catch or throw, or misspoken phrase, means that
student takes a step back.
WORD GAMES AND SPELLING
ALLITERATION
Students each choose a letter of the alphabet. They then write an advert for something using that
letter to begin as many words as possible. Need not be in complete sentences. Instead on single
letters, it could be diphthongs or th, sh or ch.
Emphasis that these are ads, not stories.
Example: P Pork Pies! A Product without Parallelso Perfect for Parties...Produced from
Prime, Plump, Pink Pigs.
PANGRAMS AND SUCH
You describe each of these sorts of words/word games and the students try their hand at 1 or more
of them. The Pangram seems the best for students to do. Works better in pairs or groups.
Anagrams:
astronomers moon gazers
conversation voices rants on
sweethearts there we sat
mother-in-law woman Hitler
revolution to love ruin

Palindromes:
Madam, Im Adam
Draw, O coward!
Sex at noon taxes

Lipogram: a composition with no examples of a particular letter in it (for example, a story with
no instances of the letter B).
*Pangram: a sentence or compositions with at least 1 instance of each letter of the alphabet.
Example: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy hogs.

G-H-O-S-T
Students collectively spell out a word, 1 letter at a time. The goal is to avoid completing a word.
Completing a word = 1 point. POINTS ARE BAD.
Example: Students 1-3 spell out R-E-A and now its Student 4s turn. They cannot say L
because that makes real and completes a word, giving them a point. Student 4 could say f
thinking of the word reaffix, which would hose Student 7.
Students can challenge if a) they cannot think of a word or b) they think the student before them
is bluffing.
Example: R-E-A-, but student 5 cannot think of the word reaffix so they challenge. Student 4
then says reaffix, showing a word was possible and student 5 gets the point (even though they
challenged). But if it had been R-E-A-G, Student 5 could challenge and Student 4 would have to
admit they were bluffing and gets the point.
Once a point has been awarded, the spelling starts anew with the student who got the point. In
the above example, play goes R-E-A-G-challenge, student 4 was bluffing, gets the point, and
starts the next word.
Points are letters in the word GHOST. A student with 1 point has a G, with 2 points has
GH, with 3 points has GHO and so on. Once a student has got 5 points they are a GHOST
and out of the main part of the game but they still get to participate. A GHOST is invisible, and
so any student still playing that speaks to a GHOST gets a point/letter, play ends and a new word
begun. GHOSTS can say pretty much whatever they want to distract players, but may not
physically touch them.
Game continues until everyone is a GHOST except 1, who is the winner.
Example of Play (10 students): Y-O-U-T-H point to student 5, who starts next series with P-R-ET-E-N-D point to student 1 (weve gone round the circle) who starts the next series B-E-H-I-V
student 6 doesnt know the word beehive, thinks student 5 is bluffing and challenges; if student
5 knows beehive, student 6 gets the point (leaving the score students 5, 1 and 6 each with a G),
but if student 5 was thinking of behavior and misspelled it, then they get the point and begin
the next series (in that case, student 5 would have GH and student 1 a G).
An Easier Option: Play as above, except that students can get out of getting a point by extending
a word by spelling.
Example: Play goes G-R-E-E and student 5 says D, which makes the word greed but that
could be extended to greedy, hosing student 6; student 6 could challenge, in which case
student 5 says greedy and student 6 gets the point anyway. Student 6 could get out of it by
saying I, intending the word greedier, which would hose student 8.
For lower levels, allow them to use dictionaries.
NOTE: Make sure to decide beforehand if you are using British or American spelling.
It is strongly suggested that no proper nouns be allowed.

10

WORD GAMES AND GRAMMAR

COMMON GROUND
Using the structure .have in common.
Ask the students something like What do my eyes, Levis the sea and a bruise have in
common? The answer is that theyre all blue.
Break the class into 2 teams. 2 students, 1 from each team, come up and stands with their backs
to the board. Write a category on the board the 2 students cannot see it but the rest of the class
can. Teams take turns shouting out examples that fit the category. You erase the category from
the board but write up the examples. The students at the front try, in turn, to guess the category.
They may make suggestions and add examples of their own to test their theories. When 1 has
guessed the category, their team gets 1 point, 2 new team members come up and a new category
is written.
Example of play: Category is Things That Open. Team A shouts out books, team B shouts
out pubs. Now the volunteer from team A thinks it might be things that are fun but isnt
sure, so s/he suggests driving but is told nope. The volunteer from team B now gets a shot but
has no clue and passes. Team A shouts out doors, team B says eyes. Volunteer from A
doesnt know and passes. Volunteer from B thinks it might be things you look at and suggests
galleries, which does fit and gets written on the board. Sure that s/he is right, s/he says the
category is Things You Look At but thats wrong so team A gets to shout out another example
and play progresses as above until someone has guessed the category or the board is full.
Possible Categories:
Things that
-come in pairs
-scare people
-have numbers
-have holes
-are invisible

-get better with age

-you can/cannot buy
-you refrigerate
-you associate with students
-you might find in an infants room
EL CONDOR PASO

Students think of someone famous and decide what that person would be if they were an article of
clothing, a fruit, an animal, a country, a method of transportation, a colour, a beverage, a building,
a meal, a circus performer, and so on (you write the categories up on the board).
They describe the person using the structure If they were a/an X, theyd be a _____. The other
students try to guess who is being described.
They then do the same with people in the class.
Option: have them do the same for themselves, using the structure
Id rather be a/an X than a Y. Have them explain their choices.
Could be used in conjunction with the Simon & Gafunkel song El Condor Paso.

11

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Break class into pairs or groups of 3. Write a long sentence on the board.
Example: With great difficulty, we managed to open the rear door of the plane.
(13 words)
Students now write a series of sentences with each word in your sentence ending each of theirs
sentences. They have ten minutes to complete as many as they can. Pressure them by giving
them updates 9 minutes, 6 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes and 1 minute.
Example (using above sentence but skipping words of, the, and to, students must write up
to 10 sentences): Whom are you going with? I think English is great. I like learning but
encounter much difficulty. Etc.
After 10 minutes, they stop writing. Students read their sentences aloud, 1 at a time. They get 1
point for each grammatically correct sentence. When a sentence has a mistake in it, write it on
the board. Each group now has a limited amount of time to correct the sentence. Proper
correction gets that team a point. Continue until all sentences have been read and corrected.
The team with the most points wins, but also choose a runner-up.
Option: Students write sentences on board instead of you. Or, if you have time for a second
round, have members of the runner-up group write them on the board.
Variations: Words from your sentence are their first word, not last, or second word, third word,
penultimate word, etc.
TEN CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR
Each student writes 2 sets of 10 letters each, in random order (they are NOT to spell out words)
on a piece of paper. Papers are redistributed so each student now has 2 sets of 10 random letters
not their own. They must choose 1 of the 2 sets to write 1 or 2 grammatically correct sentences
from, using only those letters in that order. If 2 sentences, they should be at least slightly related
to one another.
Example (2 sentences): MRULAFTBSH Mary really understands Leos appetite.
Fried trout brings such happiness.
Example (1 sentence): INHOPKATBF: Ive never heard of people killing a train before, Fred.
SOUL MATES
On board or in handouts, students are given sentences split into 2 halves and must match them up.
Use grammar they have been studying.
Example:
I want to go to
John loves eating
No one ever
Stock prices jumped

after the announcement.

listens to me
Europe next Spring
with his hands.

To make it more challenging, make all sentences in the same tense.

To make it even more challenging, divide sentences into 3 or 4 parts.

12

RUNTOGETHERS
On board or in handouts, students are given a short text of sentences run together and they must
put in spaces, punctuation and capital letters.
Could be an entire paragraph for more advanced students.
To make it more challenging, mix the sentences up beforehand, so they must also unscramble the
order of the sentences.
NEIGHBOURS
Small groups. Dictate or write the following puzzle on the board:
- In 5 different houses live 5 people of 5 nationalities.
- Each of them has a job and a pet animal, some are married and some are parents.
- The Englishman lives in the blue house.
- The French person keeps a horse.
- The person in the purple house is engaged to a ballerina.
- The German is the father of 4 children.
- The purple house if right next door to the yellow one.
- The person in the middle house is a bachelor.
- The doctor lives in the red house.
- The Dane lives in house on the left.
- The lawyer lives in the house next to the one where there is a dog.
- The doctor lives in the house next to the one where a snail lives.
- The teacher is an unmarried mother.
- The Spaniard is a film producer.
- The Dane lives next to the green house.
- The dentist cherishes a frog.
- One keeps a monkey, another has a husband.
Question: Which one has a monkey and which one is a married woman?
Let them work it out any way they see fit, lending them a hand if need be. The best method is
to make slips of paper with 1 piece of info. each and mix them about.
SOLUTION:
The Dane is the doctor, far left house, which is red, has a dog, and is married.
The German is a lawyer, is next door to the Dane in a green house, has 4 kids and a snail.
The Spaniard is a film producer, lives next to the German in a purple house, is engaged to a
ballerina and has a monkey.
The French person is a teacher, next door to the Spaniard in a yellow house, has a horse and
is an unmarried woman.
The Englishman is a dentist, in the blue house next door to the French woman and cherishes a
frog.
SO:
The Spanish film producer has a monkey and the Danish doctor is a married woman.
You can change the colours, professions, pets and nationalities as you see fit.
Option: distribute each piece of information among the students and have them go around
and ask one another questions to get the whole puzzle. Then proceed as above.

13

NICE PEOPLE
Write on the board, hand out, or dictate the following list of 45 adjectives:
artistic
capable
careful
cheerful
considerate
creative
dependable
diplomatic
easygoing
efficient
energetic
enthusiastic
flexible
frank
friendly

generous
gentle
good-humoured
good-natured
happy
hardworking
helpful
humourous
imaginative
intelligent
interesting
kind
loyal
open-minded
optimistic

organized
outgoing
patient
perceptive
polite
practical
rational
self-confident
sensible
sensitive
spontaneous
thoughtful
unselfish
versatile
witty

Class into pairs.

Students choose 3 adjectives they think describe themselves and another 3 they think describe
their partner. They then report to the class using the structures I think I am x, y, and z. I think
s/he is a, b, and c. Once everyone has reported, have them use the structures I think I am x, y,
and z but s/he thinks I am d, e, and f. I think s/he is a, b, and c but s/he think s/he is g, h, and i.
Next have each pair come up with 3 adjectives to describe you. Have them report using the
structure, We think you are j, k, and l.
Now have each pair come up with 3 adjectives for each of the other pairs and report using the
structure We think they are m, n, and o. Once everyone has reported, repeat using the structure
We think they are m, n, and o and they think we are p, q, and r.
Mix it up in as many ways as you can conceive of.
GRAMMAR and STRUCTURES
THE BEST SENTENCE
Could be used for many structures but, for purposes of illustration, phrasal verbs will be used
here.
Class into 4 groups with each group being given 4 phrasal verbs, different verbs for each group.
Have each member of each group write 1 illustrative sentence for each phrasal verb
demonstrating its meaning (so 4 sentences per student).
Each student reads out their sentences to their group and the group votes on which is the best of
the group for each phrasal verb.
Re-arrange groups so that 1 member of each old group is in each new group. Students take turn
teaching their former groups best sentences to the others, who write them down. By the end,
each student will have 16 phrasal verbs and illustrative sentences (their 4 plus the others 12).
Re-arrange groups again and have each new group write a story using all 16 phrasal verbs in new
sentences.
Could be used for synonyms and opposites as well, or commonly confused words
(forget/regret/stop/go, etc.), verb phrases (used to do something/used to doing something,
remember to do something/remember doing something, etc.), modals (may/might, must/have to,
could/could have done, etc.), determiners (much/many/little/a few/a lot, both/neither/either,
some/any/none/all of/most of, etc.), adjectives and adverbs, reflexive pronouns and so on.

14

DOUBLE OR QUITS
Needed: a bag of coins (lots of them)
16 sentences, some correct, some not (could be from student homework)
Students in teams. Explain that they are going to compete in an oral grammar quiz and the goal is
to get as much money as possible (shake the coin bag for emphasis).
Read out a sentence. Pick a team and ask, Is this correct or incorrect? Give them a strict 20
seconds to decide. If the sentence is correct and they say so, give them 2 coins. If the sentence if
incorrect and they say so, give them 5 coins of they can correct it (if they cannot, give them 2
coins for correctly identifying that it was incorrect). Now offer them double or quits for 2 nd
sentence. If they choose double, they risk losing the money theyve just won, but if they are
correct get more money. If they choose quits, then go on to the next team.
Do not offer double or quits after the 2nd sentence go on to another team. Try to get the rhythm
of the whole game as fast as possible.
DECAPITATED SENTENCES
Needed: Sentence Sheets (1 for each group)
Students into groups of 3. Give out or dictate the bodies of the sentences (sentences without a
beginning). Set a 7-minute time limit for the groups to figure out what the missing part of the
sentence might be. When time is up, choose one student from each triad to be a Scorer and put
them in a different triad to score that groups sentences. Give each scorer a Sentence Sheet
(which has the complete sentences on it) and have them score the group theyre withs sentences.
You then go over the sentences one at a time, refereeing the Scorers scores.
The bodies of the sentences will be things like:
-is watched by millions more than who play it. (the head will be soccer)
-is played by 2 or 4 people, usually on grass. (head will be tennis)
-is played mainly by men in pubs. 301 (head will be darts)
Could also be done with tailless sentences instead of headless, such as:
-The country where people live down under (tail will be is Australia)
-If you commit a crime, you can be(tail will be arrested)
- In Europe, witches used to be(tail will be burnt)
Try to have all the sentences somehow thematically related (all about sport, or history, etc.)
This seems to works best with passive structures, but could be adapted to any grammar.

15

GRAMMAR TENNIS
Demonstrate the game before playing. Game can be adapted to various grammar points, but for
purposes of explanation, irregular past tense verbs forms will be used.
Bring 2 students to the front of the class, facing each other. You stand by the board as secretary
and referee. Student A serves with the past participle of an irregular verb. Student B returns
with the simple past form, and student A returns that with the infinitive. If there have been no
errors, serve goes to student B and once again the sequence is past participle, simple past,
infinitive.
The student serving is allowed one mistake (for example, they say hidded instead of hidden)
and they still keep the serve. 2 mistakes, however, and the serve and a point goes to the other
student. Score like a real tennis game: Love-15-30-45-Game. After 2 students have played a full
game, get a new pair and play again.
Get the games rhythm going as fast as possible. This should be used to review and practice
fluency, so they should have little or no time to think about the answers.
Option: the volley could continue past the 3rd step (infinitive) by having the next student use the
past participle in a sentence with no grammatical errors, then a return using simple past and
finally a sentence using the infinitive. Keep the rhythm quick.
Could be adapted for adjective/comparative/superlative, language/nationality/country, various
pronouns (I/she/we), etc.
KLEPTOMANIA
Grammar targets are possessives and prepositions.
PART 1:
You take an object from a student and say, This is mine. The student must use the proper
possessive structures to convince you that it is theirs. When they have a done a good enough job,
apologize and repeat with another student. When half or more of the students have been so
targeted, have 1 student take something of another students and progress as above. Keep
building it up until they are all busy taking each others things and trying to get their things back.
Continue until utter chaos ensues.
PART 2:
Same as above but now the objects will be placed somewhere and the students must use the
correct prepositions of place and articles to get their things back. Start with yourself, then pass
the thieving onto the students. Continue until unto mayhem.

16

THE DICE AND GRID GAME

Needed: 1 copy of the Word Grid per pair (could have students make)
2 six-sided dice per pair, 1 per student (preferably of different colors)
Word Grid (the example here is using verb forms, but could be adapted to phrasal verbs, ladybird
words, and other forms):

Class into pairs (student A and student B).

1. Student A rolls both dice let us say they get a 6 and a 3. Student A 1 st looks at horizontal 6
(steal in the above example) and vertical 3 (stole and taught). They find the
correspondence between the 2 columns (steal and stole), jot it down on a sheet of paper, and
mark their initials in the correct box. They then do the same for vertical 6 (wound, forbidden
and swept) and horizontal 3 (teach and sweep), again finding the correspondence (sweep
and swept), writing it down, and marking the box with their initials. If they cannot find the
correspondence, then they do not fill in the box. Student B then goes. If student B rolls a 3 and a
6, the boxes for which are already filled, then the turn is over and play goes back to student A.
Play continues for 10 minutes or so and the winner is whoever has the most initials on the Grid.
2. Each pair now writes a short (5 or 6 sentences) dialogue or story using the correspondences
found. They then read them aloud.
Option: If each student in each pair has a differently coloured die, then 1 could be vertical and the
other horizontal, in which case each player would get only 1 possible box per turn. Alternatively,
you could have each student declare if they are vertical of horizontal and have each one roll a die
per turn, regardless of whose turn it is.
Note: It might be useful to make (or have the students make) the Word Grid board once, and then
tape small slips of paper with the words you are using (verbs in the example above) beneath/next
to the numbers, and have a removable sheet for the initial boxes. That way you dont have to
make a brand new one from scratch every time you want to play.
Other useful structures could be ladybird words, such as yardstick, handbill, shipwright, etc.
(each word that makes up the compound word in a separate box, vertical or horizontal); phrasal
verbs (go into, send away, look for, etc.), pronouns and verb forms, adjectives and comparatives,
etc.

17

GRAMMAR HORSES
Needed: 5 copies of each Grammar Problem Sheet (see below) per race
1 copy of Grammar Answer Sheet (see below) for each pair of students per race
Choose 5 students to be horses. They are each given a Grammar Problem Sheet and must reach
group decisions about the sentences on their Sheets. The remaining students pair up with the
Answer sheets. The paired students are the bettors.
Bettors: make book on how many and which sentences the horses correctly correct in the race.
They mark their guesses on their Answer Sheets (the racing form). Each pair has $1000 total to
spend. If they are correct, they double the money they bet; if not, they lose it. Bets are
announced like this: 3 judgments were betting 350 dollars which means this pair thinks
theyll get 3 of the sentences right and will risk $350.
Horses: They must reach their decisions collectively about each sentence on their Problem Sheet,
i.e. whether the sentence is correct and of not, what the correction is. Their entire decision
making must be done aloud, in English. They have 4 minutes, strictly timed.
Tally wins and losses. Rotate horses. Repeat with new Problem and Answer sheets.
Example of Grammar Answer Sheet (Racing Form):
Each 1 has 5 sentences.
1. She refuses paying up. WRONG She refuses to pay up.
2. He hates learning languages. CORRECT.
3. This is one of the bestest schools. WRONG This is one of the best schools.
4. My old aunt is dead last year. WRONG My old aunt died last year.
5. There are many people living in this city. CORRECT
Grammar Problem Sheets (which the horses have) are the same but without the CORRECT or
WRONG part and without the corrections.
Target structures youve been working on.
Option: The Answer Sheets could only have CORRECT or WRONG on them but not the correct
answers for the WRONG ones. Class could then try to figure out a solution together after the
race and wins and losses are tallied.

18

MEMORIZING STRUCTURES
This is a useful alternative to drills for getting structures into the students heads. Any short text
will do, provided there is some sort of rhythm to it. Poetry or song lyrics work best.
Write the 1st 2 verses on the board. Students do NOT write them down. Read them to the class
and discuss their meaning.
Rub out a couple of words anywhere and ask a student to read the verse aloud as if the erased
words were still there. Rub out a couple more and ask another student to read. Continue in like
fashion. If a student forgets a word, write it back in, have them read, then erase it and have them
read it again. Continue until the entire 2 sections of the poem has been erased, then have a
student read the poem.
Write the 3rd and final verse on the board lower down as if the 1st 2 are still there. Ask someone to
then read the entire poem.
The Poem:
Cross
by Langston Hughes
My old mans a white man
And my old mothers black.
If I ever cursed my white old man
I take my curses back.
If I cursed my black old mother
And wished she were in hell,
Im sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well.
My old man dies in a fine big house,
My ma died in a shack.
I wonder where Im gonna die,
Being neither white nor black.
THE SHOUT IN THE CIRCLE
Target structures: simple present, 3rd person singular could be adapted to other grammar
Class stands in a circle, with 1 student in the middle, who tells the class of a daily routine of
someone they know well (ex. My father gets up at 7am.). As the speaker says the verb, the
entire circle shouts it out (gets!). If the speaker uses the wrong form (ex. My father get up at
7am.) the circle shouts out the correct form (gets!). Let the speaker continue for 2 or 3
sentences, or until they make a mistake then the class claps and a new student come into the
center.
If the circle is having trouble anticipating what the verb will be, to might be necessary to have the
speaker say their sentence once while the circle listens, then repeat with the class shouting out the
verb and correct form the second time.
Try to keep the pace kind of snappy.
Could be adapted to other grammar for example, the speaker could be describing their living
room and using prepositions of space, could be comparing 2 items, etc.
Instead of the verb or target structure word, class could shout out the last two words the speaker
says, etc.
You could also vary the shouting make it a whisper, a croak, have them say it sadly, happily,
angrily, thoughtfully, romantically, etc.

19

THE MONEY GAME

Needed: 80-120 coins
2 large cards,
one reading The Speaker is Right and one reading The Challenger is Right.
8-12 students form a circle of players around some sort of flat surface (table, floor) with the rest
of the students around the circle as observers.
Lay the 2 large cards in the middle of the circle. Give each player 10 coins.
Player 1 gives player 2 a topic to speak on (for example, houseplants). Player 2 starts speaking
on this topic. When anyone in the circle of players thinks they hear a grammar mistake, they stop
the speaker and say, You said xxx. Thats incorrect. They do NOT correct the mistake, just
point it out. Players now vote by putting a coin on one of the two cards. Everyone must vote (no
abstentions). You then say if the speaker was right all along or if the challenger correctly
identified an error.
If the challenger was right, they get all the money on the Challenger card and you remove the
money on the otter card from the game. Now the challenger must attempt a correction. If they
successfully correct the error, they take 2 coins from the speaker. If they do not successfully
correct the error, they must give 2 coins to the speaker.
If the challenger was wrong and there was no grammar mistake, the speaker gets all the money on
the Speaker card and you remove the money on the other card from the game.
Player 2 continues speaking on the same topic until there is a 2 nd challenge. Proceed as above.
After the money has been dealt with, player 2 chooses another person to be speaker and a new
topic.
The winner is whoever has the most money at the end of whatever time limit you have set. try to
rotate in or otherwise include the observing students.
PEOPLE USED TO BELIEVE
Class into pairs. Write on the board, hand out, or dictate the following:
People used to believe that
tomatoes were
the earth was
comets
heavy objects
all illness was
a womans place was
the sun
the heart was

foretold disaster.
fell faster than light ones.
flat.
caused by evil spirits.
the center of intelligence.
revolved around the Earth.
poisonous.
in the home.

Pairs match up the 2 columns.

Switch partners. Students brainstorm other things people used to believe but no longer do,
writing the ideas down and giving a short oral report to the class.
Switch partners again. Students brainstorm things they personally used to believe when they
were little. Help them along with some of your own personal examples.
Have them circulate around the other pairs, asking questions in the appropriate structures (What
did you used to believe? I used to believe x, did you/how about you? Did you used to believe
y? Did you used to have any beliefs about z? and so on). They try to find things in common,
then takes turns reporting what they all used to believe (We used to believe.).
Could be expanded into the students asking people on the street and preparing reports.

20

OLLY-OLLY-AUCTION-FREE
Needed: 1 Auction Sheet for each pair of students (could use sentences from student homework)
1 hammer or gavel (optional)
Discuss auctions, what they are, how they work, and if anyone has ever been to one. Teach the
words to bid, a bid, a bidder, and the auctioneer. Teach the phrases What am I bid?, Sold!, and
Going, going, gone!
Pair the students up and give each pair an Auction Sheet. Some sentences on the Sheet will be
totally correct; others will have grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes. They only want to
buy correct sentences. Each pair has $5000, minimum bid is $200 (maximum to the total money
they currently hold), and the goal is to have the most correct sentences at the end of the auction as
well as the most money left over.
The Auction progresses as follows: you play the part of the Auctioneer. Start by reading the 1st
lot (sentence) on the list, but randomize the order after that (keeps them on their toes). Read in a
lively way, trying to really capture an exciting auction atmosphere. Keep the going, going,
gone or some variation but allow last minute bids. Keep the pace fast and snappy.
After each sale, all students note how much each lot sold for in the Budget column on their Sheets
and who bought which lot in the Bought column. When the entire auction is over, reveal which
sentences are correct and which ones false. Correct the false ones as a class.
Auction Sheet: 10-15 sentences, slightly more than half correct
Example:
Lot:
Budget:
1. She has always wanted a cat.
______
2. I didnt wanted eat the fish.
______
3. Spain is a beautiful country.
______
4. English is difficult language.
______
5. Fred is not a very useful gardener.
______

Bought:
______
______
______
______
______

Option: Make the Auction Sheets with 3 columns of blank spaces Lot, Budget, and Bought. Do
not write the sentences beforehand but have the students write them down and you read them out.
it is recommended to dictate all of the lots 1st and then start the auction so as not to slow up the
pace of the game.
STUDENT, CORRECT THYSELF!
Needed: A set of 14 or so sentences taken from students homework half right, half not.
1 set of the 14 sentences with corrected versions of the incorrect sentences per 2 students.
Dictate the mixed set of sentences to the class when students hear a correct sentence, they write
it down; when they hear an incorrect sentence, they are to write it down correctly.
Break students into pairs. Each pair is to go over their versions of the dictation. Do not help.
Give each pair the sheet with the correct versions of all the sentences. Have them correct their
dictation.
Option: Before handing out the correct versions of the sentences, have each pair reach a decision
about the correctness of the dictated sentences, and then have the pairs discuss their conclusions
as a class. Then hand out the correct versions of the dictated sentences.

21

PRESENT PERFECT POEM

Write on the board or dictate the following:
we/us/our
see/saw/seen
have/has
face/s/d
enemy/ies

and
the
of
to
it

the
an
is

In pairs, students write as many sentences as they can think of using only this list of words.
Combine the pairs into groups of 4 and have them read their sentences to each other, writing
down any they hadnt thought of. Combine the groups of 4 into groups of 8 and repeat until the
whole class is back together. Discuss the sentences.
Read, handout, or dictate the following poem:
Collected Speeches of P. Arthur Truscott
Travelling By Rail
Between Vladivostok and Grand Rapid Falls
by Robin Thurston
We have seen the face of the enemy and it works.
We have worked to see the face of the enemy.
We have enemy work to be seen and faced.
We have faced the enemy work and seen.
We have to face the enemy and see.
We face the enemy to have work.
We work to have an enemy to face.
We have to have an enemy to face work.
We have faced the enemy work and its a have.
We have faced the work of HAVE and its the enemy.
We have to face the enemy.
Have the enemy will face work.
Discuss the meanings of the different sentences.
If the whole class speaks the same mother tongue, have pairs or groups translate the entire poem
into their language. Have them discuss the differences in what can and cannot be translated.
RATING WRONGNESS
This is a useful, on-going method.
Needed: 1 sheet of sentences with mistakes from students homework per pair
If the whole class speaks the same mother tongue, start by writing 6 or so mistakes in their native
language on the board. If not, then write 6 or so simple mistakes in English on the board. Have
them rate the wrongness of the errors on a scale of 0-5. Impose no judgments of your own let
their own criteria emerge, but you might ask clarifying questions. Refuse to comment if asked.
Class into pairs. Hand out sheets. Pick out a few of the sentences and ask each pair for their
rating. Allow discussion and dissenting points of view. Offer no opinions of your own on their
ratings. Have them rate the wrongness of each mistake. Help pairs that are unsure if there is a
mistake (tell them that they are ALL mistakes).

22

RIGHT THAT SEEMS WRONG AND WRONG THAT SEEMS RIGHT

This is a useful, on-going method.
Needed: 2 large envelopes
Students each write down 5 sentences that they know are wrong but that nonetheless feel right.
Then 5 sentences they know are right (because theyve been taught so) but that feel wrong
anyway. Students explain why they feel the way they do. Have a group discussion.
Put up two envelopes in the room one marked Right That Feel Wrong and another marked
Wrong That Feels Right. Throughout the course, students are to put sentences they encounter
in class or in their lives that fall into one of those categories. Occasionally collect the sentences
and discuss them as a class.
SNAP!
Needed: 1 set of 72 Snap! cards per team of 3 students (have students make them the 1 st time you
play, so youll need 72 blank cards)
1 Snap! board (drawn on a large blank sheet of paper) per 3 students (have them make)
This game was originally developed for practicing Question Tags, but can be adapted to other
structures such as object + preposition, articles, article-adjective-noun, adverb-verb, etc.
Demonstrate the game before playing. Have a student sit next to you and draw the Snap! board
on a piece of paper. The student gets half the deck of cards, you get the other half. Both of you
put your cards face down on the table.
The student turns over a card and puts it in the appropriate box. Then you do likewise. As soon
as one of you sees that the sentence and the corresponding tag match up, shout out Snap!. The
1st one to shout it out gets all the cards in both boxes. The goal is to get all the cards.
Students play in teams of 3, each with their own Snap! board 2 actually playing the game and
the 3rd writing down all the Snap sentences. You should monitor and allow only correct Snaps.
After 10 minutes or so of play, or when someone wins, stop and have the secretaries dictate the
Snap sentences theyve recorded, which all of the other students write down. Have them take
turns reading out the sentences for fluency practice.
Snap! Board (the specifics will change depending on the grammar being practiced this example
is for practicing Question Tags):

Snap Cards:
Will vary, depending on what structure is being focused on. In the example of using question
tags, therell be 36 sentences with question tags, divided up into 36 sentence cards and 36 tag
cards, randomly shuffled. Have the students make the cards the 1 st time you play with that
structure to personalize the game and give them more practice.

23

A TENSE STORY
Needed: 13 sentences in jumbled word order but that, when assembled in the correct order, tell a
story of some kind. Sentences can be on the board or on large cards the whole class can see. Use
any topic and grammar structure they need to practice.
Class in teams of 3. Each team races the others to unjumble the sentences as quickly as they can.
They have just 3 minutes per sentence, strictly timed.
3 points to the 1st team that shouts out a correctly ordered sentence. Minus 1 point for a wrong
answer.
3 of the sentences should have grammar and/or spelling errors. 3 points to the team spotting a
grammar/spelling error and 2 points for correcting it. Minus 1 point for incorrectly correcting an
error or for spotting an error that isnt there.
When finished, have them read the story aloud.
THREE FROM SIX
Needed: 6 questions more difficult than the student can answer alone but not beyond the class as
a whole per round. Dictate, hand out, or write questions on the board.
Class into pairs or small groups.
The goal is to get 3 of the 6 questions right.
Ask the first group which 3 of the 6 questions they want to attempt getting right. They read their
chosen questions and their answers. YOU DO NOT CORRECT. After they have finished, you
say none/one/two out of three but not which ones were correct and which incorrect. If the first
pair/group gets three out of three, eliminate those 3 and add 3 more, making six total. On to the
next pair/group continuing until 1 pair/group gets three out of three. Then discuss the correct
answers to all six with the class as a whole. Repeat with six new questions.
Examples:
- NAME THIS STRUCTURE: Id have gone along to the cinema if I had known you were
going.
- Spell the past and present participles of to write
- What is the difference between good and well?
- What is the difference between hoping and hopping?
and so on. Use structures theyve been having trouble with.
TRANSLATION: CALL MY BLUFF
Needed: 1 Translation Sheet per pair, 3 different Translation Sheets per class
Note: this exercise only works with classes who share a common mother tongue
Class into pairs. Give them 1 Translation Sheet per pair. Each pair must decide which of the
translations is or are correct (sometimes more than one will work). If none are correct, the
students must write a correct translation.
Students change partners, someone who has different sentences than they had before, and repeat.
Then they change partners again. When everyone is fairly confident that theyve got them all, 1
student comes to the board and writes the correct translation on the board. Class discusses.
Translation Sheets: You write 2 English sentences on the sheet, 1 at the top and 1 in the middle.
Underneath each English sentence, write 3 correct or incorrect translations of that sentence in the
students native language. Have 3 different Translation Sheets to divide up among the pairs, so
the entire class has access to 6 English sentences and 18 possible translations.
Alternatively, you could write 1 sentence in the native tongue and 3 correct or incorrect
translations of that sentence in English.

24

TIC-TAC-GO!
Divide the class into 2 teams. Draw a tic-tac-toe grid on the board with structures, words, or
verb forms your want reviewed in each space. Example:

Start with team A. They choose a box and have 20 seconds to come up with a grammatically
correct sentence using the term in that box. They forfeit the turn if they take longer than 20
seconds. Once the sentence is produced, Team B says whether it is correct or not. If Team A
is correct, they get an X in the box and play passes to Team B (who are the Os).
Can be done with phrasal verbs, confusing words, irregular simple past/present participles,
do vs. does, present participle vs. simple present, etc.
Variation: If a team gives a wrong sentence, the other team has 10 seconds to correct it. If
they do, they steal the box. It is then that teams turn.
WE ARE FURNITURE
Needed: We Are Furniture Cards
Draw the basic picture of the room on the board.
Each student gets one card. They memorize the card and then return it to you.
They are each a piece of furniture in a room or parts of that room. They circulate about and talk
to one another using only the information they memorized from the card. Their aim is to organize
themselves into the proper places in the room. Once everyone is in the correct place, they go
once round the room saying their information.
Room (for example):

Cards (1 per student), have them use whatever target structure you want to practice:
Things like
I am a footstool. I am in front of the armchair.
I am an armchair. I sit in the corner opposite the ordinary window.
I am the door. I am found halfway between the armchair and the bay window.
I am a desk. I am across from the door.
and so on.

25

WHATS THE TIME (ITS TIME TO GET ILL)

Needed: 1 Time Grid per group of students (could have the students make them)
1 six-sided die per group of student
1 coin or token per student
Break class into small groups (of 4 works well), and give each group a Time Grid and a die.
Explain that the numbers on the Grid are times, starting with 6:00am in the bottom left-hand
corner. Have each student place their coin/token on the time they usually wake up.
Students take turns rolling the die, moving their token that numbers of spaces, then saying what
they are usually doing at that time each day (using present continuous for habitual action at a
specific time). Play continues until each student has finished their day.
Note: Other tenses can be incorporated/used instead. Simple past (Yesterday, I woke up at
6:00am), past continuous or simple present.
Time Grid (a grid 9 x 8 squares for times 6:00am 11:00pm, with 3 squares left over. Start in
lower left corner with 6:00am, go to end of row on right, then up one row and go left to end, up
one row and go right and so on, alternating direction until 11:00pm):

TRUST US, WERE EXPERTS

Small groups. Each student has a card with a grammatical structure on it, but each students
structure is different from the others. They do not show anyone their cards nor say what their
structure is.
You give 1 topic for discussion. Each student participates free form using their structure as often
as possible while still sounding natural. After 5 or 10 minutes, stop the discussion and students
try to guess each others structures. Redistribute cards and repeat.
Possible Topics:
making a holiday (UK)/taking a vacation (US)
going out on the town as a group

planning a party
fund-raising for a charity

26

VERBS TO STORY
Target Structure: simple past verbs, regular and irregular
Write on the board or dictate:
put
put on
went out
walked
stopped
picked

saw
asked
answered
ran
went in
ate up

lay down
came
knocked
said
went in
put on

saw
said
jumped out
ate up
heard
came in

killed
lived

Class into pairs. Tell them these are some of the verbs from a well-known childrens story. They
try to guess which story it is and then tell the story to their partners in the past tense.
Switch pairs now they tell the story they think it is again to their new partner and listen to that
partners story. This happens to be Little Red Riding Hood you can tell them that after the
exercise if you like but it is not necessary. You could use other stories as well, extracting the
verbs from them first.
WORDS TO STORY
Needed: 1 set of Story Cards per sentence, 1 card per student optimally
a 5 or 6 sentence short story, joke or other text
Break the class into as many groups as there are sentences in your story/joke/whatever. Give
each group a set of Story Cards, one per student.
Students pin or tape the card to themselves and arrange themselves into the correct word order.
They then lay the cards down in the correct order and write down the sentence.
Each group of students then mingles with the other groups, trying to figure which group has the
1st sentence, which the 2nd, and so on and arrange themselves around the classroom in the correct
word and sentence order. They then lay all the cards down and everyone writes down the
complete story.
The class then reads the story one word at a time, with each student saying their word in the
proper order. Switch cards and positions and repeat.
Story Cards: Find or write a short, 5 or 6 sentence, story, joke, or something. Write one word per
card using in large letters a thick pen. Give one sentence to each group, one word to each student.
Note: You might not have an exact ratio of cards to students per group, in which case some
students will have to have 2 cards. When they arrange themselves in order, theyll have to swap
cards so the order remain correct. For example, if the 1 st sentence is Once there was a farmer
named John Brown. and you only have 6 students in the group, the students who have once
and there will also have to have John and Brown so that the sentence goes round the circle
in the correct order.
Option: You could have the students pair up with the student who has the word after them and
have them both say both words together (ex. student A has Once and student B has there, so
both of them say Once there together).

27

SILENT WAY
Silent Way is a method of instruction that really puts the emphasis on the students. The teacher
does not speak at all after setting up the rules of the exercise, though you may occasionally
gesture or indicate something. At first, the students will be a bit confused because they are not
used to doing all of the talking in class. Once they get accustomed to it, however, Silent Way is a
powerful classroom tool. It is useful for a number of reasons, especially with classes that have
become too reliant upon the teacher for answers and need to use their own initiative and
collective knowledge more (also when you have a sore throat).
A series of exercises using Silent Way follow.
SILENT SENTENCES
Class selects a topic and elects 1 or 2 to be secretaries to come up to the board. Class now calls
out words relating to the topic and the secretaries write them on the board (note: not in a list, but
any which way) make sure theres a good mixture of nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. The
secretaries return to the rest of the class.
Class into pairs. They will now write sentences on the topic using 3-5 words from the board in
the following way: One from each pair will come up to the board and point out the 3-5 words
they have chosen each pair must write a sentence using on the topic using those 3-5 words in
the order indicated. Words are indicated with NO SPEAKING on the part of the student
currently at the board. Forms of words may change (power can become powerful,
manufacture can become manufactured, etc.). Continue until each pair has written two
sentences.
Students then dictate their sentences to each other, so that, in the end, everyone has all the
sentences.
Note: you could have them focus on a particular grammar structure (all sentences in past simple,
etc.) or have them change (1st two sentences in past simple, next 2 sentences as conditionals, etc.)
EXPAND
Ask a student to draw a picture of Adam, Eve, and the Apple on the board. Write a minimal
sentence by the picture with large spaces between the words, with the verb in the bare infinitive.
Example: She
give
him
an
apple.
You then write whatever words the students tell you to wherever they tell you to write them, 1
word at a time. Write them up even if they are incorrect or in the wrong place. You remain
totally silent. After each addition, students read the sentence aloud and decide if it is correct or
not.
For more advanced students, you can have them add 1 word at a time at first, then 2 at a time,
then 3 (but the 2 and 3 must be consecutive next to each other).
Option: Could be done in a sort of non-Silent Way fashion as well. You say a short sentence and
the students repeat it ad then add 2 consecutive words.
Example:
Teacher: Sports cars are expensive.
Student A: Sports cars are really very expensive.
Student B: Our pink sports cars a really very expensive.
Keep the pace lively and quick. You say the initial sentence aloud but remain silent for the rest of
the transformations, gesturing or miming when something is wrong.
Could be any picture/sentence/structures.

28

EXPAND AND CONTRACT

Ask a student with some artistic ability to come up to the board and draw a picture of a Japanese
girl looking questioningly by the side of a lake. In a speech bubble, she says, I wonder what Ill
do if he doesnt come to see my by this strange lake tonight.
The aim is for the students to transform the sentence in the following way: They take out 1 word
or 2 words together, but then replace the deleted word or words with 3 words together. After each
subtraction and addition, the students read the sentence out and decide if the grammar is correct
or not. This continues until the entire sentence has been changed. You take notes of incorrect
grammar at each step and correct at the end.
Could be competitive, with the class in 2 teams.
Example: The first person/team takes out wonder and puts in really dont know. The next
person/team takes out lake tonight and puts in and dark marsh.
Could be any picture/sentence/structures.
GIVE MEANING
PART 1: Write on the board the sentence I am a hotel. The students are to change the meaning
of the sentence by adding one word at a time - either they can shout them out and you write them.
You do not speak at all but may write up suggestions. Students write down each new sentence.
PART 2: Now write the sentence He told the dustbin. Students now transform the sentence by
adding 2 words at a time, either next to each other or separately. This time they come up to the
board and write them down. Do not correct, but offer a thumbs up is the grammar is fine and a
thumbs down if it is not. The class must make the corrections.
Could be any sentence/structures.
THE MARIENBAD GAME
Write this poem on the board:
Darling
I love you so much
You must never leave me
If you go, I fear I will kill myself
Class into 2 teams. They will take turns reducing the poem. Each turn, a team will eliminate any
or all words from a single line, then read out what is left. The poem must remain grammatically
correct, though the meaning will change. You remain silent and rub out whatever they say and let
them figure out if it is correct or not. If they make a mistake and dont see it or cant correct it,
indicate to the other team that they can correct it. The goal is to get the other team to take the last
word.
Play again, this time with the following extract from the poem Old Age Report, by Adrian
Mitchell:
When a mans too ill or old for work
We punish him.
Half his income is taken away
Or all of it vanishes and he gets pocket-money.
Same as before.
This will work with any poem/text that has 4 lines and has different numbers of words per line
(best is if the 1st line has 1 or 2, the 2nd line 4, the 3rd, 6, and the 4th 8).

29

RUB OUT AND REPLACE

Ask a student to come to the board and draw a picture of a man, a woman, and a volcano. Ask
another student to come to the board and write the following sentence in a speech bubble coming
from one of the people: If the volcano goes on erupting, wed really better move away. (This
assumes you are practicing conditionals any picture and structure will do). From now on you
are totally silent.
Rub out a word or words and gesture for the students to replace the missing word(s). The
moment they one, write it in, even if it is totally wrong. Silently enquire if the word fits there. If
not, rub it out and try again. Continue until entire sentence has been changed.
Could be any picture/sentence/structures.
SILENT SENTENCE
Ask a student to come to the board and draw a picture of a woman looking up at a window ledge
3 stories up her infant baby crawling along the ledge.
Write the following sentence on the board: Anne came down the stairs and was crossing the
courtyard when she looked up and saw her tiny son in his brown dungarees crawling along the
kitchen window ledge: she was just in time to catch him when he fell.
Tell the class they are going to take turns reducing the sentence until it is just one word. Write
1, 2, or 3 at the top of the board. They can take out up to 3 consecutive words, but the sentence
must still be grammatically correct. They may not add, change, or re-arrange words. After each
subtraction, they are to say the new sentence aloud and decide if the grammar is fine. The
meaning of the sentence will change, but the grammar must always be correct.
You are silent for the rest of the exercise and take out whatever they tell you.
When they have reduced it down to a single word, change the notation - 1, 2, or 3 to + 1, , or
3. They will now build a new sentence, adding up to 3 consecutive words at a time. The
grammar must always be correct.
Could be any picture/sentence/structures.
WITH YOUR BACK TO THE CLASS
Write 3 words at the top of the board (for example - explosion, manager, roof). Instruct the
students as to how this exercise will work, and once they understand you are not to speak again at
all until the very end. Tell the students that these are 3 key words in a story you have in your
head. They are to ask Yes or No questions to get more of the story out of you but and write their
questions on the board rather than asking them aloud. You will sit with your back to the class,
facing the board. After a student has written a question, you will answer it only when the
question is grammatically correct. If the question is correct, give a thumbs up and answer yes or
no by nodding or shaking your head. If the question is incorrect, give a thumbs down and the
class must help the student writing the question to correct it. Offer no help unless they really get
stuck (and then only writer hints or the answer on the board do not speak!). Once it is correct,
answer by nodding or shaking your head. You may want to add more key words from the story to
the list at the top of the board if they seem to be stuck or embarking on the wrong line of
questioning.
The Story (in our example):
The manager of a Sports Center woke up one morning to find there had been a very heavy fall of
snow during the night. He realized the flat roof of the Center was in danger of collapsing. He got
onto the roof to shovel off the snow, but his extra weight caused the roof the collapse and cave in,
which compressed the air inside the Center and blew out the doors hence the explosion.
You could use any similar story that contains elements not easily guessed .

30

YOUR WORDS, MY GRAMMAR

Write a sentence in the target structure on the board, with the main part(s) of the structure boxed.
Example: Whos

been

eating my porridge?

Students write sentences in the target structure (present perfect, in the example) with all the words
of the sentence different except the one(s) in the box and using the same sentence structure.
Using the example, the 1st word must be an interrogative pronoun, the 2nd word is an auxiliary
verb, the 3rd is been, the 4th is the main verb + ing, the 5th is a possessive pronoun, and the 6th is
a noun object.
Students take turns writing their new sentences on the board. Do not correct. Class decides if
they are right or wrong.
Option: Could be competitive with class in 2 teams. You could signal that the new sentence is
correct by placing a point in that teams scoring box, and incorrect by not giving them a point.
The other team could have a chance to correct the sentence (indicate by pointing to them) and if
they do, they get the point.
SPEAKING/ROLE-PLAYING
ACCUSATION
Class sits in a circle (around a table is fine).
Each student is given a slip of paper with an object thats been stolen from him or her on it.
Choose 1 student to begin. They accuse the student on their left of stealing it and that student
denies stealing it. Each one adds to the accusation or denial, but neither can deny the other
persons information (If student A says, I saw you with my car yesterday, student B cannot say
no, you didnt but must say something like I was taking it to get it washed for you). When it
finally becomes clear the accused could not possibly have stolen the item in question, the accuser
says, Im sorry I though you had stolen my ____, but I can see that I was wrong. Please accept
my apology. The accused can then be as gracious as they wish in accepting the apology.
NOTE: this apology step helps immensely, as many students will feel insulted when accused of
something, even when the whole accusation is just part of a speaking exercise and obviously
untrue.
The accused person now turns to the person on their left and accuses them of stealing their item.
Continue until everyone has had a turn as accuser and accused. Allow conversation to flow
freely, taking notes of grammar errors that you can correct at the end with the class as a whole.
ALIBI
Class in pairs.
Each pair of students has committed a crime but are questioned separately (1 leaves the room
while the other is being questioned). They must keep their alibis straight. The rest of the class is
the jury. If the pair cast a reasonable doubt in the jurors minds, they win (go free). If the jury
can prove their guilt or get a confession, they win (criminals go to jail, justice is served). Repeat
with each pair taking on the role of criminals. You could assign them their crimes or let them
choose them. Give them 1 minute outside the room to discuss their alibis. The jury gets 3
minutes with each of the accused. Each pair should take no more than 10 minutes total.
Option: Do not give them time to discuss their alibis beforehand, just throw them right in.

31

ALL IN THE FAMILY

PART 1: Dictate the following questions:
1. Who was in your family when you were growing up?
2. What was the general them of your family? (ex. Every man for himself. Distrust
outsiders.)
3. Who ran the family? What was their energy and philosophy like?
4. What did you think of your family when you were a child?
5. What did you think of their values?
6. How does your life today reflect their values?
7. How does your life today not reflect their values?
8. Did you have to fight for your individuality? How?
9. What did your family like best about you?
10. What did you tend to get in trouble for?
Students ask each other the questions and answer. Class discussion.
PART 2: In small groups (up to 6) of students role-play a family in various situations.
Example: Father has been offered a well paid job abroad. He wants to accept the position and
move the family but they all have their own reasons for not wanting to go. In the middle of the
discussion, the postman arrives with a letter (not for the father).
Other characters and situations can be added as need be. It may be useful to find a film clip or a
Monty Python sketch to model the situation first.
THE BALLOON GAME
or Watch That First Step!
Break class into groups of 3 or 4.
Have each student choose a famous person currently living, preferably someone they like and/or
admire. Then explain the set-up.
The Set-Up: each student is the famous person they have chosen, in a hot air balloon with 3 other
famous personages. The balloon is failing and will crash to the ground, killing everyone on board
unless the load is lightened. Unfortunately, calculations show that, in order for 1 of the 4 to
survive, the other 3 must jump out of the gondola. After some minutes of preparation, the
students must argue their case why should they be the one person who lives? Encourage them
to make positive statements about their own character, rather than tearing down the other gondola
occupants.
Students argue their case for a minimum 5 minutes before the whole class. Allow questions
afterwards. When an entire balloon has argued their cases, class members not in that balloon vote
on who made the best case and lives, while the others fall to their doom. Voting should be based
on who made the best speech and not who the others like more as a famous person.
If the class is small and there are only a couple of balloons, you could have the students argue
with one another.
Allow conversation to flow freely, taking note of grammar errors to be corrected later with the
class as a whole.
Option: If you have time, you could then take the survivors of all the balloons, put then in a
balloon, and have them argue again until only one remains.

32

CHEZ ANGLAISE
Students role-play the diners and staff at a restaurant with various difficult/comical characters and
events introduced. Using a film clip from Monty Python or something might be useful first.
THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS
Optimal is 8 students. If there is an odd number of students, either you can participate or leave
one out as a teachers helper to listen for and correct grammar mistakes.
The students sit in two rows, facing one another. Each student is given a slip of paper with a
secret on it they must not reveal their secretly directly to the others.
They are on a long train ride, from Berlin to Istanbul (for example). They now engage each other
on normal conversation, each keeping their secret in mind. They do not tell their secret, but they
hint at it, using language to say more than they say. They should behave in character but not be
too obvious.
This can often turn into the students interrogating one another try to discourage that and have
them simply converse like strangers who met on a long train ride would. Students should speak
to one another politely and as if they dont know each other. Total strangers dont usually say
things like Didnt you rob a bank? However, if the students seem hell bent on speaking like
that, let it them go ahead you dont want to spend to the whole time policing them.
At the end of the exercise, have the students try to guess one anothers secrets. Allow
conversation to flow, taking note of grammar errors to be corrected as a class at the very end.
Possible Secrets:
-just robbed a bank
-is a drug addict
-just murdered husband/wife/brother, etc. -is a ghost
-is a compulsive liar/gambler/thief
-is a spy
-is a terrorist
-is a vampire
-believes he/she is God/the Devil
-believes he/she is from another planet
-believes he/she is Elvis/Marilyn Monroe/etc.
-is dying of a highly contagious fatal disease (like Ebola)

DEAR ABBEY
Individually or in pairs or small groups, students have 10 minutes to reach a decision on each of
the following topics. They are then to give their advice. Could be role-played.
1. A married person is in love with someone else but doesnt want their marriage to break
up. What should they tell their spouse?
2. When you were born, your grandmother gave you a valuable piece of jewelry, which your
family had to sell for food during hard times. She asks about it one day.
What should you tell her?
3. You accidentally find out your kid brother/sister is adopted. Should you tell them?
4. A teenager discovers that they are homosexual. Should they tell their parents?
5. Youve been in prison. Should you tell your prospective employer?
6. A woman finds out that her sisters husband is having an affair.
Should she tell her sister?
7. Your brother/sister wants to marry a (Russian/American/Gypsy/Arab/German/etc.) and
wants your blessing. Would you give it?

33

DIAL E FOR ENGLISH

Draw or show a picture of a telephone (or take out a cell phone). Discuss what they are, how
they work and other things about phones. Pair them up. Distribute or dictate the following
questions, giving 1-4 questions per pair. Have them work out loooong answers. Discuss answers
as a class.
Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

When the phone rings, how do you feel?

Whom do you speak regularly with on the phone?
Who do you look forward to speaking with on the phone?
Whom do you dread speaking with on the phone?
Which phone numbers do you know by heart?
Can you recall occasions when youve had to look numbers up in the directory?
Do you ever take the phone off the hook? When? Why? How do you feel about it?
How do you feel about talking to an answering machine/voice mail?
Can you recall a recent phone conversation (personal or professional)?
Can you recall any messages you have taken or were given recently?
How do you prepare yourself for an important phone call?
How do you feel when you have to speak English on the phone? What problems do you
encounter?
Do you have a phone at home? How many? What rooms are they in?
Who usually answers the phone at home? At work?
Do you have a cell phone? How often do you have it on?
When is the best time to call you at home? At work? On your cell?
How do you deal with a wrong number when youve misdialed? When someone has called you?
How do you feel about telephone solicitations? How do you handle them?
Have you ever had any sinister, amusing, or unusual calls?
Could you live without a phone?

DINNER AT ZERO-G
The students are going on a space station for six months and must eat the same food every day for
that time. Have them plan their menus and discuss their choices. Remember, if they say
breakfast is coffee and rolls, then thats breakfast for six months, or 180 days in a row!
Have them do all 3 meals.
Option: Could then break them into groups of 6 or so and try to get them to come up with a single
menu for the whole group.
FORWARD INTO THE PAST
Students discuss (and/or write) what they would do if they could travel back in time and
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Talk with any one philosopher

Take a trip with any one explorer
Watch any one artist at work
Talk with any one writer
Have a date with any wo/man in history
Be present at any one discovery or invention
Witness any one battle
Meet any one ruler/head of state
Take part in any one historical event. What role would they play?
Visit any one place and time for 24 hours.

Have them give their reasons. This exercise works better with older students. Many younger
students will simply say dunno and your lesson is shot.

34

DISCUSSION A LA CARTE
Note: This is a useful, ongoing technique
Needed: Discussion Cards (could have students make)
On small cards or sturdy slips of paper, write the following expressions one per card/slip;
divide the expressions into categories (keep in different envelopes or on different coloured cards):
Expressing an opinion
In my opinion
I think (that)
I believe (that)
Personally, I think (that)
I reckon (that)
As I see it
I have the impression that
It seems that
It is important to bear in mind that
It depends on
I must admit that
Clarifying
What I said/meant was
Let me repeat/rephrase what I said.
I am not saying that.
I would like to point out that
Can I come back to that later?
Interrupting an argument
Sorry, but
Sorry to interrupt, but
Excuse me for interrupting, but
Can I add here that
Can I interrupt for just a moment?
Before you make your next point,
Id like to say that
Id like to comment that
So, what you are saying is (that)
Excuse me, but could you tell me?
Asking for an opinion/clarification
Well, what do you think?
Do/Dont you agree?
Whats your view (on/about)?
How do you see it (then)?
Whats your opinion about?

Challenging an argument
Are you sure of that?
That cant be true/right.
Really?
Do you really think so?
Are you serious?
What about?
It is impossible (for) to
But what about?
Whats your answer to that?
Agreeing with an argument
I agree (with you).
I quite agree.
I agree with you entirely.
I couldnt agree more.
Thats a good point.
Thats true/right.
Thats absolutely true.
I suppose you are right.
Returning to the topic
Anyway
In any case
To get back to what I was saying,
Where was I?
As I was saying,
Id like to go back to

What exactly do you mean?

Dont you think?
Am I right in thinking?
Do you mind if I ask?
Could you be a little more specific?

Before a class discussion/conversation, each student picks 5 cards. Once they have managed to
slip one of them correctly into the conversation, they can choose another card. The student with
the most cards at the end, wins.
Option: While one student is telling a story, the others keep interrupting (politely) using the above
or similar phrases.

35

THE DREADED RED SPOT

Students in 2 groups of equal size.
Each member of group A prepares a topic for discussion. Explain that when group B returns, they
are to seek out 1 member and talk about their topic.
Group B is removed from the room and a large red spot put upon each of their foreheads. Tell
them that when they re-enter the room, they are to seek out 1 member of group A and talk about
whatever that person wants to talk about, but if their conversation partner mentions their red spot
they are to play dumb, even to outright denial of the spots existence on them or anyone else.
They are to try and keep their partner on the topic under discussion, but make mental notes of
their partners reactions to the red spot.
Bring the groups together and pair 1 member of group A with a member of group B. Pair them up
and tell the Group A people they are to have their hands behind their backs at all times (this
prevents pointing). Turn them loose, circulating about and making note of grammatical errors but
do not interrupt them unless asked a question by 1 of the students. Conversations for 5-10
minutes.
Bring the class back together as a whole and have them try to orally reconstruct their
conversations. Can they remember what was said f did the spots distract them? Share
observations. Correct grammar errors as a class.
If the class is very large, you could have a third group who does not participate in the
conversations but merely observe and help correct the re-telling.
This works best with students who do not know each other very well. Could be with green stars
instead and used in conjunction with Dr. Seusss THE SNEETCHES.
A FRIEND INDEED
Students think a real of imaginary friend and describe their qualities. After the rest of the class
has heard about this paragon of virtue, they ask questions testing the friends qualities, such as If
X happened, would they do Y?, trying to tear down the friend. The student whose friend it is
must defend their buddy at all costs.
LOVE ME/HATE ME
or Sting Like a Butterfly
Students write and then read aloud exaggerated boasts about themselves and/or other people
(someone known to them all you, the teacher or a famous person or politician). The other
students then engage in character assassination, tearing down the boasts.
Could be competitive, with points awarded for most correctly used adjectives or allusions.
Works best with a group of students who know and like each other.
MEMORY LANE
Class in pairs or small groups.
Students prepare questions to jog each others memories about their
-early childhood
-vacations theyve taken
-birthdays and other celebrations
-1st flight, train trip, trip abroad, cigarette, date, job, etc.
-life when they were in school
and so on.
Could be good memories or bad ones, or both.

36

MAROONED ON MAHI-MAHI-MAU-MAHI
Individually, pairs, or small groups.
The students are trapped on a deserted island and describe what they would take with them,
assuming there is a generator for electricity and adequate food and fresh water.
Items:
10 essential tools
7 pharmaceutical items
5 books
5 musical recordings
Equipment for 1 hobby
3 other items not mentioned

3 musical instruments
3 films
3 paintings
2 changes of clothes
1 years supply of a particular food and drink

Have them give their reasons.

Options: They could also have one guest. Could be someone they know, a personage from
history, or a currently living celebrity.
You could combine them into groups and have them come up with a list of items they are all
happy with.
Could be a deserted asteroid instead, if you prefer.
AN OCTOPUS GARDEN
Students imagine a perfect place, as fantastic as they like, and describe it in as much detail as
possible. The other students ask questions about this perfect place.
Could be competitive, with the class voting on who most made them really see this imaginary
paradise.
Could be used in conjunction with the Beatles song, An Octopuss Garden or similar tune,
video clip, or text about a wonderful place.
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST
Class in pairs or threes.
1 student is the Patron and describes a picture you give them. The other student is the Artist
and tries to draw what the Patron describes without seeing the picture. An additional student
could be the Critic, who comes over and helps the Patron describe accurately and the Artist to
draw what the Patron says. If the finished product is reasonably good, it could be turned into a
big art gallery role-play.
THE RETURN OF THE WO/MAN FROM PLANET X
or Falling Off a Bicycle
Students explain how to perform various complicated actions, like cook a particular dish, drive a
car, change a tire, make a paper airplane, plants carrots, get a passport, play poker, etc. Could be
a variation of the game WO/MAN FROM PLANET X, with students
MORGENSTERN MONTHS
This lesson goes a lot quicker if everyone shares the same mother tongue, but this is not
necessary.
Write the names of the months of the year on the board. Have students tell you what each month
is called in their mother tongue and write those on the board (or have them do it) next to the
English names.

37

Ask them if the know where the English names of the months come from. Have them guess if
they dont know, then explain where each name comes from.
Ask them if they know what the names of the months mean in their native tongues. Have them
explain to the rest of the class. Note that some time measuring systems are lunar based rather
than solar (Chinese, Muslim, et al.) and some have more or fewer than 12 months.*
Break them into pairs or groups of 3. If the class is made up of several nationalities, try to spread
them all around so that one group isnt dominated by a particular nationality.
Ask the students what English words or phrases the English month names sound like to them.
Brainstorm a few together (for example, May sounds like day, hey, pray , etc. ;
September sound like remember and so on).
Now discuss in similar fashion the names of the days of the week in English and the students
language(s).
Option: Tell the students that a German poet named Christian Morgenstern wrote a funny poem
for children based on the German names for the months. For example, January in German is
Januar (with the j making a y sound) so he called it Jaguar (same j/y sound thing), which
means jaguar.** Tell them they are going to write a similar poem for the English month names.
Could use days of the week also/instead.
*Note: Many European languages take their month names from Latin, like English does, but some do not.
For example, in Czech the 1st month is called leden, meaning ice has come.
** Note: If the class is German speaking then a copy of the poem would be useful. The poem has also been
translated into Czech, called Kalendar Sibenicnich Deti Na Rok. Good luck finding either.

[English Month Names: all names come from Roman Latin, explain that the Roman calendar used to
have 10 months but that Julius Caesar added January and February and re-named the 5th month after
himself. Not to be outdone, Augustus renamed the 6th month.
January Janus, the two faced god of beginnings, doors, sunset and sunrise
February from Latin februare (to purify) on Feb 15th Romans celebrated a festival of forgiveness of sins
March Mars, Roman god of war
April - perhaps Latin aperire, (to open, as in opening buds and blossoms) or maybe from Aphrodite
(original Greek name of Venus)
May Roman goddess Maia, mother of Mercury by Jupiter and daughter of Atlas
June - Juno, chief Roman goddess
July from Julius Caesar (month added into calendar by Julius)
August from Augustus Caesar (month added into calendar by Augustus)
September from Roman word for 7 (was the 7th month before Julius and Augustus Caesar added
their own months).
October from the Roman word for 8 (see above)
November from the Roman word for 9 (see above)
December from the Roman word for 10 (see above)

English Days of the Week:

Sunday Suns Day
Monday Moons Day
Tuesday Tiws Day, Norse god of war (similar to Mars/Aries)
Wednesday Woddins Day, chief god of the Norse pantheon (sort of Zeus meets Mercury)
Thursday Thors Day, Norse god of thunder
Friday Friggs Day or Fricas Day, Norse fertility goddess 9similar to Venus/Aphrodite)
Saturday Saturns Day]

taking turns as Aliens that need this all explained to them and ask questions.

38

ROACH MOTEL
Students are given a variety of difficult situations and must describe or role-play how theyd get
out of them. Clips from an Indiana Jones film or some such could be useful here.
Situations:
Youre on a tram at night in a foreign country with no ticket and here comes the ticket inspector.
Youre on an international train in 1st class with only a 2nd class ticket and youve lost your wallet.
Youre riding a bicycle after dark with no lights going the wrong way up a one-way street when
the police approach you and inform you that the bike is stolen.
Youre in a cave at the ocean with your little dog and kid sister and the rising tide has cut off your
escape route.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
Students take turns asking one another out over the telephone but each has a secret agenda.
Agendas:
- its a blind date, one is gay and likes the other one, who is not
- one is afraid they have a social disease
- its a blind date and one is a midget
etc.
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
See if the students know what the 7 Deadly Sins are. If not, have them guess. They are: pride
(vanity), envy, anger (wrath), sloth, greed (avarice, covetousness), gluttony and lust.
Have them rank the 7 Deadly Sins from most to least sinful. Discuss in pairs or groups.
[The Sins are defined as follows: PRIDE the excessive belief in ones own abilities so that this interferes
with the individuals recognition of the Grace of God, it is said all other sins arise from this one; ENVY
the desire for others traits, status, abilities, or situation; ANGER manifested in the individual who spurns
love and opts for fury instead; SLOTH the avoidance of physical or spiritual work; GREED the desire
for material wealth or gain, ignoring the spiritual realm; GLUTTONY the inordinate desire to consume
more than one needs; LUST the inordinate craving for pleasure of the body.
There used to be 8 Deadly Sins with sadness being the 8th, but the Church eliminated this sin in the 7th
Century C.E. In the 6th Century, Pope Gregory ranked them from most to least serious in the order listed
above.
The colours, animals, and punishments in hell associated with the 7 Deadly Sins, according the 16th Century
book The Picture Book of Devils, Demons, and Witchcraft by Ernst and Johanna Lehner, are: Pride (violet,
horse, broken on the wheel), Envy (green, dog, put in freezing water), Anger (red, bear, dismembered
alive), Sloth (light blue, goat, thrown into snake pits), Greed (yellow, frog, put into cauldrons of boiling
oil), Gluttony (orange, pig, forced to eat rats, toads and snakes), and Lust (blue, cow, smothered in fire and
brimstone).
Mahatma Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi had his own list of & Deadly Sins: wealth without work,
pleasure without conscience, science without humanity, knowledge without character, politics without
principle, commerce without morality, and worship without sacrifice.]

There are several options for continuing:

39

Option 1: In pairs or small groups, students write dialogues on the wicked ways of the world,
like short morality plays, and act them out (screening the hygiene play scene from Woody
Allens Love and Death might be useful here).
Option 2: Have students mime or improve a situation with one or two of the Deadly Sins. The
rest of the class tries to come up with the moral of the story.
Option 3: Students find ads in magazines and discuss which of the Deadly Sins are being
appealed to. More advanced students could then have a discussion/write an essay on Values in
the Modern World.
Option 4: A rather humourous exercise in which the students compare the 7 Deadly Sins with the
7 Dwarves (Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Doc), the 7 Castaways on
Gilligans Island (possible correspondences: the Professor = Pride, Mary Ann = Envy, Mrs.
Howell = Anger, Gilligan = Sloth, Mr. Howell = Greed, the Skipper = Gluttony, and Ginger =
Lust), and/or other well-known groupings of 7 in art, literature, pop culture, etc.
Option 5: Students nominate, discuss, and vote on new sins to be added to the list.
Possible candidates could be serious or semi-serious: addiction, deception, despair, exploitation,
falsehood, fear, hypocrisy, intolerance, jealousy, overpopulation, paranoia, power, pusillanimity
(cowardice), racism, self-centeredness, self-righteousness, shamelessness, or sociopathy;
or funny: guilt, harassment, humanity in general, indecision, keeping busy (workaholicism), overfamiliarity, political correctness, , road rage, spamming, wasting time, watching TV, web pages
that fill up and entire sheet when printed and then spill over onto a new page for just a single line,
whininess, or willful stupidity.
Option 6: Students contrast and compare the 7 Deadly Sins with the 7 (Heavenly, Contrary,
Cardinal/Theological) Virtues and come up with a sin to virtue scale. They then rank various
actions, magazine ads, news stories, etc. along that scale.
[There are various Virtues to contrast the Deadly Sins. These are:
The 7 Heavenly Virtues Faith (also called belief, trust, fidelity, loyalty, and conviction), Hope (belief,
expectation, and reliance on desire), Charity (generosity, benevolence, helpfulness and mercy), Fortitude
(strength, courage, endurance, and resoluteness), Justice (impartiality, fairness, equity, rightness, and
dispassion), Temperance (moderation, restraint, self-mastery, frugality, and sobriety), and Prudence
(wisdom, vigilance, carefulness, thoughtfulness, and discretion).
The 7 Contrary Virtues (derived from the Pyschomachia or Battle for the Soul, an epic poem from c.
410 C.E. by Prudentius) Humility (protects against Pride), Kindness (vs. Envy), Patience (vs. Anger),
Diligence (vs. Sloth), Liberality (vs. Greed), Abstinence (vs. Gluttony), and Chastity (vs. Lust)
The 4 Cardinal Virtues (derived by Early Christians from Classical Greek Philosophers)
Prudence, Courage, Temperance, and Justice.
The 3 Theological Virtues (defined by St. Paul) Love, Hope, and Faith
The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give shelter to strangers, clothe
the naked, visit the sick, minister to prisoners, and bury the dead
The 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Faith are not necessarily tied to the 7 Deadly Sins, but are necessary
vehicle for salvation these were founded by Jesus the Christ and given to the Church to oversee: Baptism,
Penance or Reconciliation, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Extreme Unction or
healing the sick.]

40

SUPERSTITION
Hand out, write on board, or dictate the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Do you read horoscopes in newspapers or magazines? Are they ever right?

Have you ever had your palm read? Was anything the reader said true?
Do have lucky or unlucky numbers?
Do you feel like you are a lucky or unlucky person?
Do you ever wear anything to bring you luck or to protect you?

Could have students interview one another, just answer individually, etc.
Now hand out/write on the board, or dictate these questions:
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Do you believe in luck?

Have you ever given anybody something that would bring them luck?
Do you do anything special before a game, contest, or test? What?
Have you ever made a wish? What did you do before or after making the wish?
What do you say when someone sneezes? Do you know why you say that?

Have the students answer however you like.

Class into pairs or small groups. Have them list as many superstitions/omens, etc. as they can
think of. Discuss the possible origins of these superstitions.
There are literally thousands of superstitions in the English-speaking world alone The Cassell
Dictionary of Superstitions by David Pickering is a good resource, and a basic Google search
using the word superstition should yield many. A small sampling of some of the more common
and interesting superstitions can be found at then end, under handouts.
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
Each student writes down the following 4 categories:
1. I smell/I taste 2. I hear 3. I see 4. I feel through my body
Dictate the following sentences to them and they write each sentence in whichever category
seems appropriate to them. Stress that there are no wrong answers.
Sentences:
I have a headache.
I went to the hospital and had a baby.
I had a good breakfast.
I have it in me to do great things.
Children love to have stories read to them.
He hates him he really has it in for him.
I havent got any free time these days.

She had her hair done.

He had some money stolen
I had a bad dream last night
I had my head down.
We had the grass cut.
The rich have it good.
Just listen to that radio its had it!

Discuss the differences in where they wrote the sentences down.

Depending on level, it might be best to dictate and figure out the meaning of the sentences first,
then categorize them.

41

WO/MAN IN THE STREET

Good as an introduction lesson when the students dont know each other very well.
Class into pairs. Student A is a radio interviewer and student B is a member of the public passing
by. Have student A interview student B using the following (or similar) questions (each group
should be interviewing simultaneously you walk round and help with grammar):
A.
1. Whats your name? Where are you from?
2. Whats the best thing thats happened to you recently?
3. Whats your favourite way to relax?
4. What would you like to be doing five years from now?
5. If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would you become? Why?
Now have them switch roles, with student B interviewing student A:
B.
1. Whats your name? Where are you from?
2. Whom do you admire the most? Why?
3. What do you do for fun?
4. If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would you become? Why?
5. What is your greatest ambition?
Interviews could be recorded on tape.
Interviewers should take notes. Have them refer to their notes and introduce their interviewee to
the class (S/hes from.S/he admires.) Have the class ask further questions.
Class into groups of 3 or 4. Groups write questions theyd like their classmates to answer. Then
each member of the group goes to another group and asks their questions.
Option: If everyone shares the same mother tongue, have them ask questions in their native
language and then translate the answers into English before reporting to the class.
THERES NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Students discuss what they like about where they are currently living, the city they live in, and the
state/country that city is in. You could expand this by having them compare 2 places they know
well and liked for different reasons (if they are from abroad, you could have them compare where
they are now with where they are from) and also describe where theyd like to live one day
(money being no object).

42

WRITING
CHAIN STORY
Each student has a separate piece of loose paper. On it they write the beginning of a story, then
everyone passes their paper to the person on their right. They now continue the story they have
been given for a couple of/few sentences and pass it on. When they get their own piece of paper
back they are to continue the story as written and pass it on. Continue until each student has the
story they started for the second time, then have them stop. Have them correct any grammar or
spelling errors they find and read the stories aloud. Have the class choose the best story.
DEAD LETTER OFFICE
Students each choose a famous person now deceased and write a short letter to them.
Option 1: They choose a person long dead, such a Plato or Shakespeare letter is about how they
might find life today.
Option 2: They choose a recently dead person and the letter is from an admirer or detractor.
Once theyve finished, have them exchange letters and correct grammar and spelling as best
theyre able. Then have them write responses from the dead person to the letter they now have.
Give back the original letter to the person who wrote it as well as the response. Correct grammar
and spelling together as a class.
ELEVATOR RACES
Works best with groups of 4-6.
Each student wants to get to the top floor of the Grammar Towers Building which is, lets say, 10
floors high before the other students. They must use the elevator to get there. Heres how.
Each student is given a list of 13 unrelated words and a situation (like Ive just arrived in
England or I went to a job interview today). They have 10 minutes to write a letter to a friend
about their situation using at least 5 of the words on the list.
Whoever finishes 1st goes up on floor. For each correct use of a word on the list, they go up 1
floor. For each grammar error they go down 1 floor. For each incorrect use of a word from the
list they go down 2 floors. Continue until someone wins.
With larger classes: break them into pairs or threes and have them write dialogues using the
situation and words. Scoring as above.
Option: Students could generate their own lists of words using free association spiders.
HELLO DALI
Students are each given a picture of a painting by Salvador Dali or some other rather unusual
artist (each one gets a different picture). They have 5 minutes to prepare a short speech
describing the picture. Then they must come up with what, perhaps, the artist was trying to say.
Stress that there is no right or wrong in the interpretation.
Option: Once everyone has had a go, pair them up. Each pair is to choose which of the 2 pictures
they have they like best and use that for the basis of an art review they will write jointly (could be
a positive of negative review) in the capacity of art critics.
Another Option: Once everyone has had a go, pair them up. Each pair now has 2 pictures and are
to jointly write a story using elements from both pictures.

43

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
Students are trapped somewhere and write notes to put into bottles and cast into the sea in the
hopes of rescue. Notes must include a) where they are (a hill, a fort or prison, an island but not
St. Vincent because they arent sure of their exact location), who they are, what sort of danger
they are in, and the like. Redistribute notes. Now each student has found this note they have and
must write up their plans to rescue the person.
JABBERWOCKY
Students are each given a handout you have prepared in advance of Lewis Carrolls famous
nonsense poem, or a similar text, with most of the nonsense words simply blanks. You could
have typed random gibberish in place of the nonsense words instead if using blanks, if you prefer.
The students must guess what parts of speech the nonsense words might be and what the words
themselves could be. Discuss the different ideas of what combinations of words might be used in
the text.
Option: if time allows, tell them the actual nonsense words and discuss what words the students
think they might be made up of (for example, mimsy might be mum and flimsy - an
adjective denoting something that is quietly flimsy). If you can find anything on what Carroll
actually meant when he wrote it, even better.
Another Option: Students could be given a text and then Jabbercize it for other students to
decipher. Could be a homework assignment.
A copy of the poem, some handouts for vocabulary, and 2 translations into Czech can be found at
the end, under handouts.
A PICTURES WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Individually or in pairs.
Students are given a picture of some 20th century painting and a slip of paper with a common
object written on it (TV, airplane, typewriter, etc.). They must write a story that somehow links
the painting and the object. Switch stories and correct grammar. Read aloud.
SPIDER STORIES
You write a couple of general topics on the board. Students free-associate spiders until the board
is quite full. You then tell them to write a story using only the things on the very outside of the
spiders.
Example:
students
write stories
using end
(boxed)
elements

44

WE LEARN
Write the following on the board, or dictate:
We Learn
by William Glasser
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss with others
80% of what we experience personally
90% of what we teach to someone else
Discuss. Is this true? Have them debate for a bit. Then ask them to come up with and write
down their own list of how they learn using any percentages they like, but called I Learn, using
I instead of we.
Have them circulate about, reading their poems to one another as if they were having a
conversation, and using complete sentences for each line. They should be simultaneously reading
and listening to each other. As they encounter people who have poems similar or compatible with
their own, they should group together. Once everyone has found a group, have them sit together.
Now have them write a collective poem with elements they can all agree upon, called We Learn
Then have the groups converse with one another, this time grouping according to
incompatibility. Once each group has paired up with another group or groups, they write down
the other groups poem but call it They Learn.
They will then combine their We Learn and They Learn finding contrasts and
correspondences. For example:
We learn 10% of what we see but they learn 10% of what they eat. Or
We learn 10% of what we see but they learn 40% of what they see.
WRITING/TRANSLATION
COLLABORATION
Use only if everyone in the class has the same mother tongue.
A poem or short lyrical text (T.S. Eliots Preludes I. seems to work well) is written on the
board and copied down by the students or handed out individually. New words are defined and
the general meaning of the piece is figured out and analyzed. Students then translate the text into
their native language as best as theyre able and hand them in to you. Collect the handouts of the
text if you used handouts or erase the board. You distract them for a few minutes by getting
opinions of the text and chatting on topic in a general way, letting them think the exercise is over.
Now redistribute the translations and explain that they must now translate the translation they in
front of them back into English (they may not use the original text). Explain that the goal is not
to duplicate the original text but to get the general sense of whatever is written before them in
their native tongue.
Once they have finished this, pair them up. Each pair will now have two English translations of
translations of the original text. Have them choose which lines they like from their two
respective English translations and create a new poem/text. If time allows, combine pairs into
groups of 4 and repeat the combining process. Stress that there is no right or wrong here, except
in terms of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
At the end of the exercise, the students should have new versions of the poem/text they started
with. Read them aloud.
Option: Poem or text could be on tape/CD and students could translate each line as they hear it.

45

HALF IS BETTER THAN NONE

Pairs or small groups.
Use only if everyone in the class has the same mother tongue.
Students are given a composition prepared by the teacher written in
a) their native language but with errors that mirrors English mistakes or
b) in English that mirrors their own languages structures.
PRESENT PERFECT POEM
(see above in Grammar)
WHAJYASAY?
Pairs. Make sure each pair has the same mother tongue.
Students write a conversation, alternating sentences. Student A writes the first line in English,
student B translates that sentence into their mother tongue and writes the second sentence, also in
their mother tongue. Student A translates Bs response and writes another sentence in English.
Repeat until dialogues are finished. Have students read their English conversations aloud.
Option: If the entire class speaks the same mother tongue, have them also read the dialogues in
their mother tongue. Class discusses if they are good translations or not.
Option: Dialogue could be reaction to a quote or abstract painting or comment (like Love
conquers all.).
MINI-RECIPES
(activities that could be expanded into much larger projects)
1. Students design their perfect classroom/language course/robot teacher.
2. If you ruled the world for one day
3. Distribute maps of a region with only river, mountains, etc. marked. Students must
divide the area into 10 new countries.
4. Students each think of 10 questions they would not want to answer. They then ask one
another those questions and try and evade answering themselves.
5. Students write their own progress reports.
6. Students explain why they think San Francisco/Prague/Berlin/Tokyo is where it is.
7. Students explain the rules of a sport they enjoy. What rules would they change?
8. Bosses: describe the perfect secretary. Secretaries: describe the perfect boss.
9. Students discuss the 10 Commandments and then write the Devils 10 Commandments.
10. Students explain why there are 24 hours in a day*. They then come up with an
alternative time measuring system and justify it.
[*The explanation most often offered is that it comes from the Sumerians. Their method of
counting was to do the following: hold up your right hand and tough your thumb to the lowest segment
of your index finger thats 1. Now go to the next segment up thats 2. Each finger has 3 segments,
yielding 12 segments per hand or 24 for both hands. The Babylonians inherited this counting system,
who used a base 12 counting system rather than the base 10 system we use, and adapted the Sumerian
system as follows: 1 = open hand, 2 = one finger folded, 3 = two fingers folded,4 = three fingers
folded, 5 = four fingers folded, 6 = all fingers folded, 7-12 repeat on other hand. 12 is 3 x 4 and they
often used a base-60 system, which is 3 x 4 x 5. That is where the 60 seconds/minute and 60
minutes/hour measurement came from.
There are other explanations, including a rather complicated one that had the Babylonians dividing
the night sky into 12 zodiac signs in a 360 degree circle, with day being 12 and night being another 12
but the above explanation ought to suffice for the students if they press you for the answer.
A sidereal day is actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.2 seconds and the length of a solar day varies
according to latitude and time of year, but 24 is close enough for our purposes here.]

46

MINI-PROJECTS
(projects that might take more than one lesson)
THE AMBASSADORS
or Gullibles Travels
Pairs or small groups.
Students are given travel brochures or information of a specific region. They imagine that they
have gone there and write a daily diary of the trip they took.
They should include:
-maps or descriptions of where they went
-climate
-dialogues with the natives
-geography
-dialogues with other travelers
-religions and philosophies encountered
-factual info and history
-customs an traditions encountered
-local costumes/dress
-local legends and superstitions
Travel accounts could be honest, could be ugly tourists.
Could be expanded a number of ways:
Option 1: A longer trip, 10-14 days, through several countries
Option 2: Trip was through a fictional land taken from literature (Utopia, Gullivers Travels, The
Phantom Tollbooth, Middle-Earth, Narnia, James and the Giant Peach, Where the Wild Things
Are, etc.) or film (Blade Runners L.A., The Mouse That Roareds East Fenwick, The Zone
from Tarkovskys Stalker, Star Wars, Willie Wonka, etc.).
Option 3: Students could incorporate their own actual travels to places, recalled from memory.
EDISONS LEGACY
Can be groups or class as a whole.
Talk about work and day to day life, steering the conversation towards irritating tasks one must
do regularly.
Talk about Thomas Edison see if they know all the things he invented.
Students will now take on the role of modern Edisons and create a labour saving device for some
petty task they dislike. It can be realistic or not. Once they have finished, have them come up
with a brief marketing campaign (if you have broken the class into groups, have them swap
inventions and market another groups device).
A LADS DIM LAMP
or The Student From La Mancha
Students write down their biggest unfulfilled wishes, however outlandish. Encourage total
honesty. They then poll one another and group themselves with those who have somewhat
similar wishes.
In their groups, students now discuss which ones are actually feasible and how they might be
achieved sometime in the future if their group pooled their resources and talents.
Students next discuss which ones are totally impossible, then re-analyze those. Are they really
impossible? How could they be achieved in some way? Is there a technological advance that
could make them more probable? What? They come up with detailed schemes as to how to
make their impossible dreams come true.

47

THE CRYSTAL BALL COMMITTEE

Can be individually, in groups, or class as a whole.
Write on the board or dictate the following:
(Option: just give the students the bold parts of the listed items and have them guess what the rest
will be).
In the year 3000
everybody will speak the same language
books will no longer exist
there will be no more religion
most animals and birds will be extinct
people will be much taller and stronger than they are now
people will live much longer than they do now
large parts of the world will be uninhabitable
families will be limited to one child
there will be a world government
there will be no such thing as money
there will be no shops
private houses will not exist
private cars will not exist
nobody will work
By the year 3000
war will have come to an end
the worlds climate will have changed
political systems will have become more democratic
we will have colonized other planets
the problem of world hunger will have been solved
Tell the students that they are members of the Crystal Call Committee and must make a report to
the United Nations on what they think the state of the world will be at the dawn o the next
millennium.
Students choose at least 5 of the above statements that they agree with and come up with an
additional 3 that are not on the list (so, 8 total). If you have broken the class up, keep combining
groups into bigger entities and having them reduce their choices to 8 each time until the entire
class has a consensus on 8 statements about the future. Then have them prepare a written and/or
oral report to the UN representative (thats you).
Option 1: In addition, contrast changes from 1000 C.E. to 2000 C.E. (requires some research)
Option 2: Discuss in groups and/or write essays on one or more of the following:
- What will the housing situation be like in 50 years?
- What sort of games/sports will people play in 200 years?
- How will shopping work 50 years from now?
- How will education be like in 100 years?
Option 3: Students names items for items to be placed in a time capsule to be opened in 500
years. Have them give reasons for their choices.
Fun Thing: If youve the time and resources it would be fun to make CRYSTAL BALL
COMMITTEE HONORARY MEMBER badges for the students.

48

WE THE PEOPLE
Can be groups or class as a whole.
Discuss the Freedom of Information Act in the US. Have students compare it to laws in their own
countries. Talk about what they like and dislike about the laws in various countries.
Students now form a committee to write a Freedom of Information Act for the country of their
choice (real of imagined). They must decide what sort of information will be public domain,
what will be secret and what will be accessible on a need-to-know basis,
Make sure they include:
personal medical records, personal education records, personal credit records, personal
employment records, criminal records, local government files, national government files.
EXQUISITE CORPSE
Required: 1 Exquisite Corpse sheet per student, colored pens, large sheets of blank paper.
Can be any size class. Class starts off as individuals.
Go over the parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). Go over English word order
(SVOMPT, or Subject Verb Object Manner Place Time). See if anyone knows anything about
Dada. If not, briefly explain it, making sure to mention the Exquisite Corpse exercise of
randomly generating phrases.
Hand out the Exquisite Corpse sheets (see below). Have students fill in the 1 st vertical column of
words then fold the paper so their column if hidden (allow them to use dictionaries. If the entire
class speaks the same native language, allow them to use either English or their native tongue)
and pass it to the person on their right. Then they fill in the next column of words, fold it so that
previous columns are hidden and pass it along. Continue until all columns have been filled in,
then have them pass the completed sheet one final time so they end up with one different than the
one they last filled in. Unfold sheets. Have them translate words into English if youve allowed
them to use their native tongue. Now they have a series of nonsensical sentence skeletons.
Have them turn these sentences into grammatically correct sentences (changing verb tenses,
making words singular or plural, adding prepositions, etc.).
Circulate around and assist as needed.
Pair them up. Assuming 7 sentences per sheet, each pair will have 14 sentences. Have them
choose what they think are the best 7 of their combined 14 and write these down separately.
Group the pairs into groups of 4. Repeat above culling procedure until only 7 sentences remain
and have all 4 students write those 7 sentences. Continue in like fashion until you have 3-5
groups of students, each group with 7 sentences.
Explain what a syllable is. Ask if anyone know what haiku is. Explain it if not. Tell them that in
English, the syllabic pattern in haiku is 3 lines, 1st line 5 syllables, 2nd 7 syllables and 3rd 5
syllables. 5-7-5.
Tell them they are to use the 7 sentences their group has as raw material for writing haiku poems.
They may use any part of a sentence or alter sentences to make them fit the syllable pattern. They
are to write 4 haikus that, while nonsense, are grammatically correct.
NOTE: Do NOT tell them before this step that they will be writing poetry. Many people are very
shy about attempting any literary exercises and will freeze up, plus you dont want them
anticipating poetical structures while writing and choosing sentences. Hopefully they will have
invested so much time and effort at this point that their reticence will be overcome.
When they have finished, have them choose what they think are the best 2 or 3 haikus and write
them with the coloured pens on the large blank sheets of paper. They may illustrate them if they
wish. Post these on the wall and have the class circulate about, reading everyones poems and
generally have a fun time.

49

Example of Exquisite Corpse Sheet (having been filled in):

So, student 1 filled in 7 nouns and then folded the paper along the vertical line separating the 1 st
noun column from the 1st verb column (so the nouns they wrote are hidden), student 2 filed in 7
verbs (without seeing the previous 7 nouns) and folded the paper in likewise fashion, student 3
wrote 7 adjectives, and so on. Student 8 is the one who winds up with the completed sheet. They
now must make sentences out of the horizontal rows.
Using the 1st row as an example, they could write:
Chickens push blue history, which carefully damages exams.
The chicken pushed his blue history while carefully damaging the exam.
A chicken was pushed by blue history into carefully damaging an exam.
My chicken pushed blue history but carefully damaged its exam.

and so on.
They have a lot of leeway as to what the final sentence will be. Encourage them to mix up tenses
and grammatical structures they have been working on. Older students may have a hard time
with the nonsense they are being asked to work on. This is why, when it is time to pair and
group up, you should make sure each group has a good mix of ages and ability levels.
SONNETS-R-US
Discuss various English poetical forms and devices, such as haiku, iambic pentameter, rhymed
couplets, etc. Show them examples and then have them try their hand at writing in the same
formats. Best if they are at least paired up, if not in small groups. Could be competitive.

50

FSW FIND SOMEONE WHO

Students are given/you dictate a long list of things to find out about other people.
They each other/other students in other classes/the general public at large to find someone who
-was caught smoking before the age of 12
-was born in December
-was conceived in December
-is an only child
-disliked birthdays as a child
-was bullied at school
-was a bully at school
-was frequently hit/spanked as a child
-watches at least 2 hours of TV a day
-has never been to the opera
-used to play a lot of sports
-hates pubs
-likes kissing smokers
-is currently reading a novel

-considers themselves to be a good cook

-loves Monday mornings
-was born at home
-liked tomatoes as a child
-learned to ride a bicycle after the age of 8
-thinks grammar is fun
-has never studied English in a class before this
-wishes they has become a doctor
-likes country & western music
-has lived in at least 3 other countries
-dislikes baseball
-has at least 5 drinks a week
-quit smoking more than once
-reads non-fiction science book for pleasure

and so on. Use as many of these as you like, or make up your own.
Students ask the questions in order when they get a yes they go on to the next question and
continue until they get a no, in which case they move on to someone new. Students try to find
at least 1 yes for each question, noting who it was (and, if not in this particular class, where the
person they asked was at the time). They then report their findings.
Good with students who dont know one another very well an ice-breaker, of sorts.
Good for practicing Reported Speech.
MOTHER THERESAS SHOES
Discuss local problems, such as homelessness, poverty, crime, etc.
Discuss problems in the world, making sure that hunger is mentioned. Ask how countries go
about trying to alleviate suffering in the world. Hopefully, someone mentions charities, but if not
then you should mention them.
In groups or as a whole class, the students will now choose a problem, local or worldwide,
serious or funny, and create a charity for that problem. They must then pitch it to a government
representative (you) and try to get a grant for initial funding. The grant is for $3 million USD.
Students choose a chairperson, a secretary, a treasurer and a spokesperson.
The proposal must include:
-The country or countries (or city or cities) to be helped and/or the problem to be tackled.
- What sort of projects will be concentrated on general relief or more targeted projects? How
will what projects are supported be decided?
- How much money will be budgeted to setting up the home office, to administrative costs, to
fund-raising, and to educating the West about the problem?
- How much of direct funding will go to emergency relief and how much to long-term projects?
- The number of employees and their tasks.
- The name of the charity and its motto.

51

THE UNEXAMINED LIFE

A: Discuss the quote The unexamined life is not worth living. Do the students agree? Have
they recently examined their lives?
B: Dictate the following, one letter at a time:
1. acsiphyl btatrieuts
2. atmnel itaiblies
3. ilsaoc lsilks
4. snibsues ikslsl
5. ergnelo ahnmu estaurtibt
C: Class into pairs. The dictated words are scrambled they must work together to unscramble
them. After a set time limit, write the correct words on the board 1. physical attributes, 2.
mental abilities, 3. social skills, 4. business skills, and 5. general human attributes.
D: Each student must now list what they consider their best 3 are in each of the 5 categories.
They may use their partner for ideas, vocabulary, and other help but each must write their own 3.
When they have finished, have them swap with their partner.
E: Students take turns reading their partners choices in the 5 categories, but making compete
sentences from the list (ex. Frank think his eyes are one of his best physical attributes.).
F: Handout, write on the board, or dictate the following (if dictated, one letter at a time):
6. youernanbestfinmadeevcialmovesthree
7. ticsuncharalmostusteruacisthree
8. porinthreemosttererimeststant
9. uegletantvalporsinimmost
G: Again in pairs, have them unscramble these. Explain that these are phrases but the syllables
are scrambled. After a set time limit, write the correct phrases on the board 6. three best
financial moves you ever made, 7. three most unusual characteristics, 8. three most important
interests, and 9. single most important value.
H: Again, students answer these. Have them read their own answers aloud. Discuss.
For homework, have the students write their answers into grammatically correct sentences. After
you have corrected them (could be done in class) tell them to put them around their home where
they can regularly see them.
PLOT/COUNTERPLOT
Pairs or small groups.
STEP 1: Students write detailed plans for committing a dastardly deed for example, a
kidnapping, robbery, terrorism, taking hostages, occupying a building, etc.
They must include:
-strategy
-getaway plans
-maps
-back-up plans
-disguises
-alibis
-signals
They verbally tell their plans and hand in their written work (which ought to be at least passably
legible).
STEP 2: You redistribute the written plans. In the same groups as before, the students are now
Anti-Crime Special Police Squads and have stumbled upon the nefarious crime they have in their
hands. They must come up with detailed plans for foiling the criminals and capturing them.

52

PROJECTS
(these will almost certainly take more than one lesson, perhaps several)
DANGEROUS JOURNEY
PHASE 1: Each student has 2 separate blank sheets of paper. One will become the Character
Sheet and the other the Disaster Sheet.
CHARACTER SHEET students create a character on some sort of quest, for use in a story
1. Name
2. Description
3. Likes
4. Dislikes
5. Object of Quest
6. Area of Quest

EXAMPLE:
Col. Harry Mudflap
white face, red hair, wooden leg, wears a monocle
cigars, port wine, the London Times
dogs, cola, television
looking for his lost leg
the French Alps

DISASTER SHEET students write a list of bad situations that could befall a person, 1 per
category
EXAMPLE:
1. Technical Failure
blackout, car breaks down
2. Natural Disaster
flood, earthquake
3. Man-Made Disaster
war, nuclear meltdown, kidnapping
4. Character Flaw
cowardice, alcoholism, madness
You collect both sheets from the students, keeping the Character Sheets separate from the
Disaster Sheets. Chat with them to distract them (so they think it is all over) and redistribute the
two sheets so that not only do they not have their own sheets but they do not have both sheets
from anyone else (student A, for example, gets student Cs Character Sheet and student F
Disaster Sheet).
Students must now write a longish story about that character, on that quest, and those 4 disasters
happen to them. Might be good as homework. Do not tell them ahead of time that they will be
writing stories many students lack the confidence to do something like that and will freeze up,
plus you dont want that colouring their Character and Disaster choices.
PHASE 2: Correcting the stories.
Students assemble as a group in an informal seating arrangement (like a semi-circle, but not a
traditional classroom arrangement of rows) but with a hot seat somewhere in a focal area.
They take turns sitting in the hot seat and reading their story aloud. LOTS of applause
afterwards, even if it sucks big time. They then vacate the hot seat and hand the story to you.
You sit in the hot seat and read the story again after each sentence you ask the class Is this
correct?, meaning the grammar. The entire class corrects the story in this way, and then its
someone elses turn. Continue until all stories have been corrected. Have students re-write
stories with corrections.
THE ENGLISH ARTS CENTER
The students are the staff of an Arts Center and plan next months programme and activities,
discuss and draw up plans for fund-raising, discuss and write a newsletter, plan a new on
premises caf, plan childrens programmes and play spaces, etc. Expand as you see fit.

53

GREENVALE 2055
You may adapt the backstory to fit your region and headlines of the day if you like.
BACKSTORY: The year is 2055 C.E. After several small wars that almost escalated into nuclear
conflict, the United States and Russia signed a treaty in 2025 declaring themselves the worlds
nuclear policemen. Later that same year, Europe went through what is now known as the Green
Revolution with Greens (environmental parties) pitted against Grays (industrial parties), each
competing for political dominion. Hundreds of Green Villages sprung up almost overnight and
scores more were formed in the following years. Greenvale is one such village.
It is 30 years after the Green revolution first started. The students are working for the BBC and
must write and perform a 5-10 minute radio programme about Greenvale. This should include:
-an introduction
-interviews with the organizers and local inhabitants
-facts
-comments about how life is in the village and how it is changing around the world
etc.
Option: Class could 1st be divided into small groups, each of which creates their own Green
Village. They then take turns being the BBC reporters and interviewing one another.
BUT WAIT, THERES MORE!
Go over various phrases used by modern advertisers (a very useful tool here is the Tom Waits
song Step Right Up, on the album Small Change, which is basically a rapid-fire list of
advertising slogans). Discuss different methods of advertising and conducting ad campaigns.
Give each student a nonsensical product to develop an ad/ad campaign for. They are to write and
then perform these ads and outline the overall campaign strategy.
Products:
-edible CDs
-a musical mousetrap
-perfumed books
-an upside-down umbrella

-anti-yawning pills
-an electric eyebrow pencil
-a bicycle seat warmer
-a portable folding toilet

If the students have done a particularly great job, you could have them record their ads as radio
spots and use them as listening comprehension for the class of other classes.
ON A SOAPBOX
Students write and perform political speeches. Could expand into an election, compete with a
caucus, electioneering and voting.
THE SIX OCLOCK NEWS
Students write and perform new broadcasts real or imaginary, serious or comical.
WITNESS THE EXPERT
Students find a topic they are or wish they were very knowledgeable in. They prepare a lecture on
their topic, complete with a Q & A session.

54

ONE WORLD IS ENOUGH (FOR ALL OF US)

This project could be 2 groups of 6 each, but 3 is better.
It is preferable to have 3 access to 3 separate rooms for this project, but not necessary.
It is also preferable to have 1 teacher/group but not necessary.
Break class into 3 groups of at least 6 students each. Put in separate rooms if possible or at least
far enough apart that they cannot hear one another.
STEP 1: Each group creates a planet. They must include:
-name of the planet
-physical description of the planet
-physical description of the inhabitants
-characteristics of the inhabitants
-at least one serious cultural taboo
-one major problem/crisis affecting the planet at the present time
STEP 2: Each planet sends 2 envoys to each of the other planets (so 4 envoys total) while the rest
remain behind as natives of their world. These envoys do not interact with the locals but
merely observe them with all of their odd characteristics and taboos (which may or may not be
understood) as they discuss the problem they are now facing as a world. The envoys take detailed
notes (as much as their own characteristics and taboos allow).
STEP 3: Envoys return to their homeworld and report on their findings. The Galactic Council
(the teacher/teachers) then contacts each of the worlds and informs them that 2 or the 3 planets
must be depopulated immediately and that all 3 races must choose 1 planet to co-exist on. This
decision will be reached using their knowledge of their own worlds and the reports of their
envoys on the other worlds. Once each world has reached a decision, proceed to
STEP 4: Re-assemble as 1 class, now called the Tripartite Confederation for Relocation (or
something like that). They could have banners, costumes, and the like if they wish.
A. Each planet tells the assembly where they have decided they all should live and why.
B. Any cultural misunderstandings that have occurred are cleared up in an open dialogue
between the 3 worlds inhabitants. The choices are then rehashed.
C. The entire assembly votes on which world they will all inhabit. The final choice must be
decided by a two-thirds majority, with each individual having one vote. Allow a caucus
period if there is no final decision after the 1st vote, with lobbying and negotiations taking
place.
The Galactic Council has been observing without interference and taking note of any grammar
errors that have occurred, which they clean up after the final vote has taken place.
TRAVEL AGENT 007
Students write sales pitches for various unpalatable vacation packages. They then take turns roleplaying travel agents to sell their packages to the other students. They should include:
transportation, accommodation, food, total cost, etc.
Vacation Packages:
-A Bicycle Tour of the Gobi Desert
-A Working Holiday on a North Sea Oil Platform
-Camping on the Greenland Icecap
-Nature Study: Collecting Spiders in the Amazon Basin
-A Tour of Siberias Salt Mines
-Searching for Fossils in the Sahara, in August
-Indian Ocean Monsoon Season Water Skiing

55

SPIN DOCTORS
PHASE 1: Write on board, dictate, or handout the following:
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Where are you from?
2. Where are your parents from?
3. Where have you spent most of your life?
4. Are you in close contact with your immediate family?
5. Is your family the most important thing in your life?
6. How important is your extended family (uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.)?
7. How many relations live within 50 miles of your home?
8. Is your family scattered or do they generally live close together?
9. How many relations do you know personally?
10. Have you seen more or less of your family in recent years?
11. Do you think big families or small families are better?
12. Do you think is it good for parents to live with their married children?
13. Do you know many of your neighbours?
14. Can you recognize all of the people who live within 100 yards of your home?
15. Would you rather live in a) an isolated house, b) a small town, c) a medium-sized town,
d) a city or e) a large/capital city?
16. Who do you get along best with a) relations, b) schoolmates, c) co-workers, or d) other
(who?)
17. What places do you feel most at home in a) where you were born, b) where you grew
up, c) where you live now, or d) other (where)?
18. Do you consider yourself a) rootless, b) well-rooted, or c) something in-between?
Students answer the questions.
PHASE 2: Guide a discussion of the format of the questionnaire. Note how it slowly builds up
to its final question, which is its main point, guiding the respondents thoughts a certain way in a
logical but not wholly predictable way. The questionnaire starts with more general and informal
questions and gets more complex and specific as it progresses.
Individually, in pairs or very small groups, students now write their own 12-15 question
questionnaires, with the main question being the final one. They then ask the other
students/students in other classes/the general public their questions and write down the results.
They report the answers gathered to the class.
PHASE 3: Guide a discussion as to various ways information is gathered today and how raw data
can be slanted or spun depending on the desire goal. If any students have studied statistical
analysis, use them as experts. Students (in the same pairs/groups is Phase 2 was conducted that
way) then write 2-4 reports for different clients using the raw data from their own questionnaires,
slanting each report differently to meet their clients expectations and needs.

56

TREASURED ISLAND
Class into groups. If class is of varying levels, make sure each level is represented in each group.
PHASE 1: The students create the perfect island to live on. Islands must include:
1. Name
6. Vegetation (flora)
2. Description
7. Animal Life (fauna)
3. Location
8. Inhabitants (if any)
4. Landscape
9. Resources for survival (food, fresh water, etc.)
5. Climate
10. Map
PHASE 2: Once the students are satisfied with their island, they must now add:
11. Capital City
15. Language(s)
12. Form of Government
16. Diplomatic relations
13. Currency/Trade
17. Flag
14. Imports & Exports
PHASE 3: Students now must encourage investment in their island paradise, targeting industry,
tourism, and so on.
Each island will prepare their proposals to investors. When an island is pitching their land, the
other students, still in their island groups, will take on the role of countries or companies who
might be persuaded to invest. Let things progress for a while, then have the investors decide yes
or no or under what conditions they would invest. Each island gets a turn pitching to investors.
These islands can be used in subsequent lessons for a variety of purposes. Most of the MiniProjects can be incorporated into these islands and they may prove useful throughout the run of
the course/school year.
USING THE SENSES TO MAKE SENSE
Needed: 3 or 4 short snippets of music
2 longer pieces of music (1-2 minutes)
a variety of things that smell, such as tea leaves, tree bark, cleaning fluid on cotton ball
keep them in bags, bottles, or boxes.
PHASE 1:
A Have students close their eyes and take a few deep, relaxing breaths. Ask them to listen to
the different sounds they hear in the room (their breathing, the clock ticking, you walking, a fly
buzzing, etc.). They open their eyes and tell you what they heard. Write the vocabulary on the
board, noting that in most instances we use noun + verb + ing.
B Have them name colours. Write them on the board in a colour wheel. Ask them their
favorite colours and shades of colours. Which colours dont they like? Which ones feel warm?
Which ones cool? Which ones are aggressive? Happy? Sad? Stress there are no wrong answers.
C Play 3 or 4 short snippets of music and have the students write down the 1 st 5 words that
come into their heads when they hear them. Stress that they are not listening for lyrics, that these
are subjective word choices. Make sure the pieces of music are quite different. Write all their
word choices on the board. Discuss.
PHASE 2:
D - Tell the students they are now going to listen to two longer pieces of music, very different
form one another. They are not to listen for lyrics, but write down the following:
a. what colours they think of
b. what moods or feelings
c. what setting they imagine (where, what time of day, etc.)
d. what plot, if any, is happening in the music

57

Discuss.
E Break class into pairs or small groups. Have them choose one of the 2 pieces of music and
design the cover for an album that has that music on it.
PHASE 3:
E Class in pairs. Students brainstorm as many smells as they can think of within a 10 minute
time limit. Write on board and discuss. Students now prepare a list of adjectives and use them to
describe the smells they wrote down (examples: acrid, soothing, nauseating, heady, etc.).
F Have students recall smells from places or events in the past. Discuss.
PHASE 4:
G Class into small groups. Bring out the items with smells and have the students close their
eyes and take turns smelling them and using the following phrases:
- It reminds me of (noun phrase + verb + ing)
- It makes me feel like (verb + ing)
- It makes me want to,,,
- I wish I could
and so on.
Many memories will no doubt be triggered by this exercise have the students discuss their
memories.
After everyone has had a turn, tell them what each thing they smelled was.
METHODS IN THE CLASSROOM
A Trick for Articles
Put many pens on several colours on the table, letting them fall at random. Give instructions:
First, take a blue one, then take the blue one on the right or the green one between the red
one and the blue one. One failure is a strike, 3 strikes and on to the next student. Then have
students instruct each other.
Sound Situations
Make a recording of a sequence of various sounds (for example rustling of covers, brushing
teeth, taking shower getting dressed, making and drinking coffee, opening and closing door =
getting up in the morning). Students try to guess what the sounds are and what the situation is.
They could then act out the sequence of actions, taking turns giving commands to the others.
Have them write their own sequence of sounds/actions and act them out.
MAGAZINES
Info Scavenger Hunt
Prepare 10 questions, the answers for which are somewhere in the magazine. Students race to find
all 10 answers 1st. Switch magazines and repeat with different questions or have them write new
questions for each other.
Lying
Students or groups of students comb through their magazines for 2 interesting pieces of
information. They then make up 2 more pieces of information, plausible sounding but not true,
that are not in the magazine. They then read out their 4 pieces of information to the rest of the
class, who try to guess which are the true things and which the red herrings. Could also swap
magazines and have students/groups race to uncover the true facts 1 st.

58

USING HOMEWORK/REVIEWING RECENT WORK

From Pattern to Poem
Choose 6 sentences from recent units in the textbook theyve been using or from their homework.
Write them on the board or dictate them. Students identify the grammar (simple past, question
tags, whatever). Break class into 4 groups. Each group chooses one of the following forms: a
short letter, story, dialogue, or poem. They then write that using at least 3 of the 6 sentences.
Groups then dictate their compositions to the other groups, so that, in the end, everyone has
everyone elses work.
Also useful with large groups when youve had little of no prep time.
LARGE GROUPS LITTLE OR NO PREP TIME
Reading Passages From Text
- Divide the text into short separate parts. Break the class into small groups and give one art to
each group. Each group discusses the part they have and try to understand it. They then try to
guess what the whole story might be and how their part fits into it. Circulate around, asking
questions and correcting grammar.
Have students each copy down their section, then circulate around to the other groups asking
questions and trying to see which, if any, of their guesses as to the whole story were correct. back
in their groups, they share their findings. Finally, have each group read their sections aloud in the
correct order (which only you know up to this point).
- Just one copy of a text? Write some pre-questions on the board that pertain to the main points
of the text (if it were, say, Jack and the Beanstalk, then questions like Who lives at the top of
the beanstalk?, Where does Jack go?, What does Jack try to get?, Is Jack poor or rich? and
so on). Pass the text around, having students read aloud a small section each with the rest of the
class only listening and taking notes. Check to make sure that the pre-questions have been
answered. They should then have at least a basic understanding of the text.
- Only a few copies of the text? Break class into small groups, giving one copy to each group.
Write up pre-questions as above. Have them take turns reading it to each other in their groups.
Write more questions. Then have each group write a set of questions. Have them come up and
write their questions on the board. Let the rest of the class try to answer the questions.
- You can also write vocabulary from the text on the board, but with the letters in jumbled order.
As the students read the text, they should be able to unscramble the words.
Free Associations
Write a word in the center of the board. The students shout out as quickly as possible as many
words as they can think of that they associate with that word. You (or they) write these words on
the board around your original word. Have students comment on the words they have come up
with type of words, quality, emotional colouring, etc. Divide class into small groups. Have
them pick 10 words and write a dialogue. Perform the dialogues.
Hot Seat
Students read a text, listen to an audio clip, or watch a video clip. They answer questions as in
the methods above, but each small group has a hot seat, with one student at a time in the hot
seat. That student is responsible for the answers of his group, both in information content and
grammar. Could be used as a way to correct written homework assignments as well.

59

No Chalk, No Talk
Have the students ask you/each other questions. Write the questions and your answers on the
board. The student should all copy down every question and answer so they have a written record
of everything. Correct errors as you go along. Entire process should be a quiet as possible, with
most communication occurring via the board. Students then break into pairs/small groups and act
out the dialogue they have copied down from the board.
Could also be used with a written passage, or an audio or video clip.
This is a very good method for a number of situations.
VIDEO
Generally, clips with lots of action and nice visuals seem to work best.
- Watch a video clip. As a class, in pairs, or in groups, students break what they saw into
categories and describe: characters, actions, motivations, relationships, and so on. Could be
initially done with no sound so the language doesnt distract them
- Listen but dont see students hear a video clip but do not see it. They then act out what they
think happened and use the clip to compare/check.
- On small cards, write down phrases from the clip they are about to watch 2 actual phrases used
in the clip and 2 red herrings that sound plausible but are not in the clip per card.
On strips of paper, write down 14 sentences or paraphrases of things that ether are said or that
occur in the clip and 4 red herrings, each on a separate slip.
Make a worksheet with corrections for the not-quite-correct paraphrases, matching definitions for
vocabulary in the clip, word exercises, and jumbled words and phrases from the clip.
1 set of 10 cards, 14 slips of paper, and 1 worksheet per pair or group.
CARDS - before viewing
From the clues on the card, each pair/group is to make up the story of what they think they are
going to see. Do NOT tell them that 2 of the clues are false. Report the findings to the class.
Now tell them about the 2 red herrings and have then choose which ones they think are false and
revise their predictions.
STRIPS While viewing
1. Break them into pairs. Arrange seating so that one of each pair can see the TV/Monitor
and one cannot. Play the clip without sound. Have the student who saw the clip explain
what they saw, then have the second of the pair report it back. Have them renew their
discussions and predictions from the cards and modify their stories accordingly.
2. Now all watch the clip without sound. Modify stories again.
3. Hand out the strips, warn them that there are some red herrings in each set but dont tell
them how many. Have them read the sentences on the strips and try to ferret out the red
herrings. How many are there? Which ones? Then have them arrange the sentences into
what they think is the logical order.
4. View the clip with sound. Have them revise the order of their slips and predictions as to
how many red herrings there are and which ones are false. View clip again.
5. Hand out the worksheet and have them complete it as best as they can. View the clip
once again and have them finished the worksheet.
POST-VIEWING
Back into small groups (2 or 3 pairs). The students a re newspaper reporters and write the
story of What Happened Next.
They then write the story of the events in the clip as if they were one of the participants
I Was There (eyewitness reporter, telling friends in the pub, etc.)

60

VARIOUS and HANDOUTS

English is Tough Stuff
(excerpts)
author unknown
Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you, in my verse,
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and
worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress shall tear.
So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain, and Britain
(Mind the latter, how its written).
Now surely I will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and
streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Doll and roll and some and home.

Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge, and
gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Liberty, library, heave, and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet

Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
Your pronunciations OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve, and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Compare alien with Italian,

Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I ,ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary,
Crevice and device and aerie.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour

And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival; tomb, bomb, comb,

Finally, which rhymes with enough

Though, through, plough, or dough or
cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup,
My advice is to give up!

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Ode to the English Plural

author unknown
Well begin with a box and the plural is boxes
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is goose, but two are geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldnt the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show my feet
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth, and a whole set is teeth
Why shouldnt the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this and plural is these,
Shouldnt the plural of kiss become kese?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose.
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him
But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim.
So English, I fancy you all will agree,
Is the craziest language you ever did see!
ENGLISH ERRORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Weve all seen variations of these maybe theyre true and maybe not. But theyre funny.
Belgrade hotel elevator: To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each
one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order.
Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front door.
Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.
Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.
Athens hotel: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of nine and eleven am daily.
Yugoslav hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.
Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guest of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the
lobby be used for this purpose.
Austrian hotel catering to skiers: Not to perambulate the corridor in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.
Japanese information booklet about using hotel air conditioner: Cooles and Heats; if you want just condition of warm
in your room, please control yourself.
Swiss mountain inn: Special today no ice cream.
Czech restaurant menu: Fried ermine with tarter sauce.

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Polish hotel restaurant menu: Salad a firms own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a
finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country peoples fashion.
Swiss restaurant menu: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.
Hong Kong supermarket: For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.
Bangkok dry cleaners: Drop your trousers here for best results.
Outside a Paris dress shop: Ladies have fits upstairs.
Rhodes tailor shop: Order you summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
Tokyo shop: Our nylons cost more than common, but youll find they are best in the long run.
2 signs from Majorcan shop entrance: English well talking. Here speeching American.
Advertisement by Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.
Roman doctors office: Specialist in women and other diseases.
Window of Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.
Czechoslovak tourist agency: Take one of our horse-driven city tours we guarantee no miscarriages.
Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.
Tokyo car rental firm brochure: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at
first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigour.
Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own your own ass?
Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
From the Soviet Weekly: There will be a Moscow Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 Soviet republic painters and sculptors.
These were executed over the past two years.
From an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in
the bulk of their workers.
Sign in Germanys Black Forest: It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for
instance, men and women, live together on one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.
Box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: Guaranteed to work throughout its useful life.
Detour sign in Kyushu, Japan: Stop: Drive Sideways.
Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner dressed as a man.
Tokyo bar: Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts.
Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

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In a Laundromat: Automatic washing machines: Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.
In a London department store: Bargain basement upstairs.
In an office: Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken.
In another office: After the tea break, staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.
Outside a secondhand shop: We exchange anything bicycles, washing machines, etc. Why not bring your wife along
and get a wonderful bargain?
Notice in health food shop window: Closed due to illness.
Spotted in a safari park: Elephants please stay in your car
Seen during a conference: For anyone who has children and doesnt know it, there is a day care on the 1 st floor.
Notice in a farmer's field: The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.
Message on a leaflet: If you cannot read, this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.
On a repair shop door: We can repair anything (please knock hard on the door the bell doesnt work).

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A SELECTION OF HORROR MISTAKES

The country has had economical problems for years.
If they will work in Paris, they must learn French.
If she hasnt done the work until six, Ill fire her.
Whats about a cup of tea?
Whos Englands famousest writer?
We neednt any more beer for the party.
His kind isnt living very healthy.
Twenty dollars are too much for those books.
Does she make her work well?
Why dont you drive with the taxi?
I always wear an umbrella with me.
I finish work at eighteen oclock.
Were they already in Italy?
My chief is a nice person.
The trousers has a brown belt.
Are that my photos?
Hes got all his money on the bank.
The story plays in Italy.
What time is the serie on television?
Im not used to get up so early.
How much sport do you make?
Yesterday I went at home early.
You have more money as your sister.
What did he tell to you?
Heidelberg is the prettiest town of Germany.
What for a drink is it?
I could drive a bike at five.
I saw a lot of customers on the fair.
The students has no free time.
Just look on him hes crazy!
I was by the lawyer yesterday.
Hell explain us the situation.
I like comedians Woody Allen or so.
They saw all what happened.
We made no holidays last year.
Can you lift the table by your own?
I think the summer wont be good.
We drove yesterday to the city.
Childrens can be very noisy.
What time did you go to the bed yesterday?
They have an own house.
He arrived the office late twice last week.
Can you borrow me $50 until Tuesday?
A fifteen-years-old boy cant do this work.
Theyre interested for sports.
Rise you hands above your head!
Is yours the same than mine?
What time do you normally finish the work?
Think on our last trip to Spain.
In our meaning we need a new secretary.Remember me to buy a present for my wife.

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TWO HALVES OF A WHOLE

Hand out the following (if you have only 1 copy, tape it to the board and have them all come look at it):

Class into small groups or pairs. Have them look at the picture. Draw a line down the middle of the board and ask
students to come up and write the following adjectives on one side or the other:
-decisive
-spiritual
-tidy
-analytical
-artistic
-creative
-logical
-messy
-boring (NOT bored)
-musical
-weird
-efficient

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Note that there are no right answers in this.

Ask the class why they think the picture has all that different activity in someones head.
Explain left and right brain functions.
Now, using the same 12 adjectives from above, have the students match them to the following statements:
a. We mustnt let emotions get in the way of the facts.
b. Id love to paint that beautiful sunset.
c. Come on and feel that rhythm!
d. My grandmother was a fish.
e. I cant be bothered to put things away.
f. I can never think of anything interesting to say.
g. I always meet my objectives.
h. I just cant stand mess!
i. Right! I know exactly what to do.
j. Ive just had another fantastic idea!
k. Were we friends in a previous life?
l. Lets examine his problem one detail at a time.
Discuss answers.
Have the students say which side they think is more dominant in them. Ask them which side is more important for life in
our society.

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BUS ROUTES

68

CHINAMPA FARMING

69

70

LETTER SORTING

71

72

WINE MAKING

73

74

CINEMA AND TELEVISION

75

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

76

BIG BEN

77

CHRISTOPHER WREN

78

ANALOGIES

79

80

81

THE PORT OF WYE

82

SOUND MAZE 1

83

SOUND MAZE 2

84

TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

85

THE SLAVE TRADE

86

TREASURE!

87

88

CINDERFELLA

TALES FROM THE LAND OF PLENTY

89

SOME SUPERSTITIONS

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ACORN An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life.
An acorn at the window will keep lightning out
AMBER Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.
AMBULANCE Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until
you see a black or a brown dog.
Touch your toes
Touch your nose
Never go in one of those
Until you see a dog.
APPLE Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an
apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you
were saying when the stem fell off.
An apple a day
Keeps the doctor away.
If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how
many children you will have.
BABY To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the
palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a
girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.
BASEBALL BAT Spit on a new bat before using it for the first time to make it lucky
BED It's bad luck to put a hat on a bed.
If you make a bedspread, or a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage will never come to you
Placing a bed facing north and south brings misfortune.
You must get out of bed on the same side that you get in or you will have bad luck.
When making the bed, don't interrupt your work, or you will spend a restless night in it.
BEE If a bee enters your home, it's a sign that you will soon have a visitor. If you kill the bee, you
will have bad luck, or the visitor will be unpleasant.
A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.
BELL The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise.
When a bell rings, a new angel has received his wings.
BIRD A bird in the house is a sign of a death.
If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow.
BIRTH Monday's child is fair of face;
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe;
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving;
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
is fair and wise, good and gay.
BIRTHDAY CAKE If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.
BLARNEY STONE The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of
Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence
(blarney.)
BLUE To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.
Touch blue
And your wish
Will come true.
BREAD Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it.
A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.
BRIDE Bridal & wedding superstitions
BRIDGE If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.
BROOM Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

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If you sweep trash out the door after dark, it will bring a stranger to visit.
If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.
Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.
To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in
immediately after they leave.
BUTTERFLY If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.
Three butterflies together mean good luck.
CANDLE If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby.
CALF If the first calf born during the winter is white, the winter will be a bad one.
CAT If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good
luck with it.
Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.
A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.
CHEEKS If your cheeks suddenly feel on fire, someone is talking about you.
CHILL If you get a chill up your back or goosebumps, it means that someone is walking over your
grave.
CHIMNEY SWEEP It's very lucky to meet a chimney sweep by chance. Make a wish when sighting one, and the
wish will come true.
CIGARETTES It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.
CIRCLE Evil spirits can't harm you when you stand inside a circle.
CLOCK If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.
CLOVER It's good luck to find a four-leaf clover.
Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of magicians and the wiles of
fairies, and brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.
COIN It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.
COMB To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.
COUGH To cure a cough: take a hair from the coughing person's head, put it between two slices of
buttered bread, feed it to a dog, and say, "Eat well you hound, may you be sick and I be
sound."
COW Cows lifting their tails is a sure sign that rain is coming.
CRACK Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway.
Step on a crack
Break your mother's back.
CRICKET A cricket in the house brings good luck.
COUNTING CROWS One's bad,
Two's luck,
Three's health,
Four's wealth,
Five's sickness,
Six is death.
DANDELION Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the
wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.
DEATH Superstitions about death
DOG A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen.
DOOR It's bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.
DREAMS The meaning of dreams
and dream superstitions
EARS If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you.
If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you.
Left for love and right for spite:
Left or right, good at night.

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EASTER For good luck throughout the year, wear new clothes on Easter.
ELEPHANT Pictures of an elephant bring luck, but only if they face a door.
EYE If your right eye twitches there will soon be a birth in the family. If the left eye twitches there
will soon be a death in the family.
To cure a sty, stand at a crossroads and recite
Sty, sty, leave my eye
Take the next one coming by.
EYELASH If an eyelash falls out, put it on the back of the hand, make a wish and throw it over your
shoulder. If it flies off the hand the wish will be granted.
FINGERNAILS It is bad luck to cut your fingernails on Friday or Sunday.
Fingernail cuttings should be saved, burned, or buried.
FISH A fish should always be eaten from the head toward the tail.
Dream of fish: someone you know is pregnant.
FISHING Throw back the first fish you catch then you'll be lucky the whole day fishing.
If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.
It's bad luck to say the word "pig" while fishing at sea.
FLAG It brings bad luck for a flag to touch the ground.
FLOWER First Flower of Spring: The day you find the first flower of the season can be used as an
omen:
Monday means good fortune,
Tuesday means greatest attempts will be successful,
Wednesday means marriage,
Thursday means warning of small profits,
Friday means wealth,
Saturday means misfortune,
Sunday means excellent luck for weeks.
FOOT If the bottom of your right foot itches, you are going to take a trip.
FORK To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.
FRIDAY A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams.
Any ship that sails on Friday will have bad luck.
You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.
Never start to make a garment on Friday unless you can finish it the same day.
FROG A frog brings good luck to the house it enters.
The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck averts epilepsy and other fits.
GOOD FRIDAY A child born on Good Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday has a gift of healing. If a boy,
(The Friday before Easter) he should go into the ministry.
Cut your hair on Good Friday to prevent headaches in the year to come
A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven.
Shed no blood on Good Friday, work no wood, hammer no nail.
HAIR Pulling out a gray or white hair will cause ten more to grow in its place.
HAND If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be getting money.
If the palm of your left hand itches it means you will soon be paying out money.
HORSESHOE A horseshoe, hung above the doorway, will bring good luck to a home. In most of Europe
protective horseshoes are placed in a downward facing position, but in some parts of Ireland
and Britain people believe that the shoes must be turned upward or "the luck will run out."
A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.
ITCH If your nose itches you will soon be kissed by a fool.
If your nose itches
Your mouth is in danger.
You'll kiss a fool,
And meet a stranger.
Rub an itch to wood
It will come to good.

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IVY Ivy growing on a house protects the inhabitants from witchcraft and evil.
KNIFE A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.
A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labor.
If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be
broken.
It will cause a quarrel if knives are crossed at the table.
It is bad luck to close a pocket knife unless you were the one who opened it.
Knife falls, gentleman calls;
Fork falls, lady calls;
Spoon falls, baby calls.
LADDER It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.
LADYBUG If a young girl catches a ladybug and then releases it, the direction in which it flies away will
be the direction from which her future husband will come.
It is bad luck to kill a ladybug.
Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home.
Your house is on fire,
Your children all roam.
LEAF If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.
LETTUCE Lettuce is believed to have magical and healing properties, including the power to arouse
love and counteract the effects of wine.
Lettuce promotes child bearing if eaten by young women, and certain types of salad can
bring on labor in pregnant women.
LIE Cross my heart and hope to die,
Cut my throat if I tell a lie.
LIZARD To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy.
MANDRAKE Mandrake is a mysterious plant believed to have powers of preventing sterility in men and
animals, causing barren women to bear children, and compelling love.
Mandrake is thought to have aphrodisiac and fertilizing properties.
Clairvoyants use mandrake to increase their visions to enable them to see strange and
wonderful things.
MARRIAGE Wediing superstitions
MILK It's bad luck to let milk boil over.
MIRROR To break a mirror means 7 years bad luck.
It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.
A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.
If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.
MISTLETOE Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning. It also cures many diseases, is an
antidote to poison and brings good luck and fertility.
A girl standing under a mistletoe cannot refuse to be kissed by anyone who claims the
privilege.
MOTH A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.
NOSE If your nose itches, someone is coming to see you. If it's the right nostril, the visitor will be a
female, left nostril, male.
ONION An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.
A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.
OPAL Unless you were born in October, it's unlucky to wear opals.
OWL It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.
PENCIL If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will
remember the answers.
PEPPER If you spill pepper you will have a serious argument with your best friend.

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PHOTOGRAPH If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.
RABBIT'S FOOT A rabbit's foot will bring luck and protect the owner from evil spirits if carried in the pocket.
RAINBOW A rainbow in the Eastern sky,
The morrow will be fine and dry.
A rainbow in the West that gleams,
Rain tomorrow falls in streams.
RAVEN To kill a raven is to harm the spirit of King Arthur who visits the world in the form of a raven.
RED A red ribbon should be placed on a child who has been sick to keep the illness from returning.
ROBIN A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true - but only if you complete the
wish before the robin flies away.
ROCKING CHAIR If you leave a rocking chair rocking when empty, it invites evil spirits to come into your house to
sit in the rocking chair.
ROSEMARY Rosemary planted by the doorstep will keep witches away.
SALT Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder into the
face of the devil waiting there.
Put salt on the doorstep of a new house and no evil can enter.
Salty soup is a sign that the cook is in love.
SCISSORS If you drop scissors, it means your lover is being unfaithful to you.
SEA GULL Three seagulls flying together, directly overhead, are a warning of death soon to come.
SHOES Do not place shoes upon a table, for this will bring bad luck for the day, cause trouble with your
mate and you might even lose your job as a result.
It's bad luck to leave shoes upside down.
SINGING If you sing before seven, you will cry before eleven.
SLEEP You sleep best with your head to the north and your feet to the south.
SNEEZE Place a hand in front of your mouth when sneezing. Your soul may escape otherwise.
The devil can enter your body when you sneeze. Having someone say, "God bless you," drives
the devil away.
If you sneeze on a Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow.
Sneeze on a Sunday, and the devil will have domination over you all week.
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a letter
Four for a boy.
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret, never to be told
SPARROW Sparrows carry the souls of the dead, it's unlucky to kill one.
SPIDER Seeing a spider run down a web in the afternoon means you'll take a trip.
A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.
STARS All wishes on shooting stars come true.
Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.
SWAN A swan's feather, sewed into the husband's pillow, will ensure fidelity.
THIRTEEN If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.
TONGUE If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.
UMBRELLA Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

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It's bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house, especially if you put it over your head.
VALENTINE'S If a woman sees a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it means she will marry a sailor. If
DAY she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If she sees a goldfinch, she
will marry a millionaire.
VEIL A bride's veil protects her from evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.
WATERMELON A watermelon will grow in your stomach if you swallow a watermelon seed.
WEATHER Red sky at night,
Sailor's delight.
Red sky at morning
Sailors take warning
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
Rain on the green grass
Rain on the hillside,
But not on me.
WEDDING Wedding superstitions
WOOD Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.
WINDOW All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.
WISH If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.
Wish I may,
Wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.
If you tell someone your wish, it won't come true.
WISHBONE Two people pull apart the dried breastbone of a chicken or turkey until it cracks and breaks,
each one making a wish while doing so. The person who gets the long half of the wishbone will
have his or her wish come true.
X The number of Xs in the palm of your right hand is the number of children you will have.
YAWN A yawn is a sign that danger is near.
Cover your mouth when you yawn, or your soul can go out of your body along with the yawn.
BIRD A bird in the house is a sign of a death.
If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow.
CANDLE Light candles on the night after November 1. One for each deceased relative should be
placed in the window in the room where death occurred.
CEMETERY You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of
someone who has recently died.
CLOCK If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.
You will have bad luck if you do not stop the clock in the room where someone dies.
CORPSE If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family.
If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him.
Mirrors in a house with a corpse should be covered or the person who sees himself will
die next.
DOG Dogs howling in the dark of night,
Howl for death before daylight.
DREAMS If you dream of death it's a sign of a birth, if you dream of birth, it's a sign of death.
If you touch a loved one who has died, you won't have dreams about them
DYING A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven.
A person who dies at midnight on Christmas Eve will go straight to heaven because the
gates of heaven are open at that time.
All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.
The soul of a dying person can't escape the body and go to heaven if any locks are
locked in the house.

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EYE If the left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family.
If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him.
FUNERAL Funerals on Friday portend another death in the family during the year.
It's bad luck to count the cars in a funeral cortege.
It's bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on.
Thunder following a funeral means that the dead person's soul has reached heaven.
Nothing new should be worn to a funeral, especially new shoes.
Pointing at a funeral procession will cause you to die within the month
Pregnant women should not attend funerals.
GRAVE If the person buried lived a good life, flowers will grow on the grave. If the person was evil,
weeds will grow.
MIRROR If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.
MOTH A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.
PHOTOGRAPH If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.
THIRTEEN If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.
UMBRELLA Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.
BRIDAL SHOWER The first gift the bride opens should be the first gift she uses.
Everything the bride says as she opens her gifts will be repeated on her wedding night.
Somone should be assigned to write down these comments during the shower.
The person who gives the third gift to be opened will soon have a baby.
Save the ribbons from the shower gifts to make a mock bouquet to be used at the wedding
rehearsal.
WEDDING DAY Certain days of the week, and certain months of the year are better than others for a
wedding.
Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday best of all,
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
Saturday for no luck at all
Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind & true,
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bred.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
FOR A LUCKY BRIDE Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue,
And a lucky sixpence
In her shoe.
Married in White, you have chosen right
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Blue, you will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,

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Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,

Married in Brown, you will live in the town,
Married in Pink, you spirit will sink.
WEDDING DAY
Good Omens: seeing a rainbow
having the sun shine
meeting a black cat
meeting a chimney sweep
WEDDING DAY
Bad Omens: a pig, hare, or lizard running across the road
seeing an open grave
meeting a nun or a monk foretell barrenness
OTHER BELIEFS If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.
The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall - hence the
custom of carrying the bride over the threshold.
The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.
WEDDING CAKE If a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of
her future husband.
WHEN you had the dream:
Dreams at night are a devil's delight
Dreams in the morning, heed the angels' warning.

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Jabberwocky
Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought-So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

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Glossary

Bandersnatch A swift moving creature with snapping jaws. Capable of extending its neck.
Borogove A thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round, something like a live
mop. Carroll emphasized in the introduction to The Hunting of the Snark that the initial syllable of
borogove is pronounced as in borrow, rather than as in boring.
Brillig Four o'clock in the afternoon: the time when you begin broiling things for dinner. (According
to Mischmasch, it is derived from the verb to bryl or broil.)
Burbled Possibly a mixture of "bleat", "murmur", and "warble". (according to Carroll in a letter [1]).
(Burble is an actual word, circa 1303, meaning to form bubbles as in boiling water.)
'Chortled' - Laugh in a breathy, gleeful way; cuckle (Definition from Oxford American Dictionary) A
combination of "chuckle" and "snort."
'Frabjous' - Delightful; joyous (Definition from Oxford American Dictionary)
Frumious Combination of "fuming" and "furious."
'Galumphing' - Moving in a clumsy, ponderous, or noisy manner. Perhaps a blend of "gallop" and
"triumph." (Definition from Oxford American Dictionary)
Gimble To make holes like a gimlet.
Gyre To go round and round like a gyroscope. (Gyre is an actual word, circa 1566, meaning a circular
or spiral motion or form; especially a giant circular oceanic surface current.)
Jubjub A desperate bird that lives in perpetual passion.
Manxome Combination of "monstrous" and "fearsome"; possibly related to the Manx cat.
Mimsy Combination of "flimsy" and "miserable."
Mome Possibly short for "from home," meaning that the raths had lost their way.
Outgrabe Something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle. Since the
verse is in past tense, this is probably a form derived from a strong verb such as "outgribe".
Rath A sort of green pig.
Slithy Combination of "lithe" and "slimy."
Toves A combination of a badger, a lizard, and a corkscrew. They are very curious looking creatures
which make their nests under sundials. They live on cheese.
Uffish A state of mind when the voice is gruffish, the manner roughish, and the temper huffish.
(according to Carroll in a letter).
Wabe The grass plot around a sundial. It is called a "wabe" because it goes a long way before it, and a
long way behind it, and a long way beyond it on each side.

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Word

Carroll's Explanation

Humpty Dumpty's Explanation

brillig

Bryllyg (derived from the verb to bryl or

broil). The time of broiling dinner, i.e., the
close of the afternoon.

Four o'clock in the afternoon -- the time when you

begin broiling things for dinner.

slithy

Slythy (compounded of slimy and lithe).

Smooth and active.

Lithe and slimy. Lithe is the same as 'active.' ... It's

like a portmanteau -- there are two meanings packed
up into one word.

tove

Tove, a species of badger. They had smooth

white hair, long hind legs, and short horns like
a stag; lived chiefly on cheese. "Toves" should
be pronounced to rhyme with "groves".

Something like badgers -- they're something like

lizards -- and they are something like corkscrews. ...
They make their nests under sundials -- also they live
on cheese.

gyre

Gyre, verb (derived from gyaour or giaour, 'a

To go round and round like a gyroscope.
dog'). To scratch like a dog.

gimble

wabe

mimsy

Gymble (whence gimblet). To screw out holes

To make holes like a gimlet.
in anything.
The grass plot round a sundial ... because it goes a
Wabe (derived from the verb to swab or soak). long way before it, and a long way behind it ... and a
The side of a hill (from its being soaked by the long way beyond it on each side. (Humpty Dumpty's
rain.)
explanation was made with some "insights" from
Alice.)
Mimsy (whence mimserable and miserable.)
Unhappy.
Borogove'o'. An extinct kind of parrot. They
had no wings, beaks turned up, and made their
nests under sundails; lived on veal.

borogoves
The first 'o' in 'borogoves' is pronounced like the 'o' in 'worry'.
The word is commonly mispronounced as "borogroves". . .
and this misspelling even appears in some American editions
of the book.

Flimsy and miserable.

A thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking

out all round -- something like a live mop.

mome

I'm not certain about mome. I think it's short for 'from
home' -- meaning that they'd lost their way.

raths

A rath is a sort of green pig.

outgrabe

Outgribing is something between bellowing and

whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle.

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vahlav
Jaroslav Csa

Bylo smano, lep svihl tlov

se batoumali v dlnici,
chrudon byli borolov
na mamn krsy rnc.
synu, stez se vahlava,
m zuby, drpy peostr;
stez se i Ptka Neklava,
zumc Bodostre!
Svuj chopil vorplov me,
jm lita soka vezme v plen,
pak used v tumtumovou se
a ekal divilen.
A jak tu vzdeskn mysle kles,
sm vahlav, v och plameny,
slt hvdn v tulov les
a drblal rameny.
Raz dva! Raz dva! A zas a zas
vorpln me spl v miku let.
vahlava hlavu za opas
a u galumpal zpt.
Tys zhubil strastna vahlava?
Sp na mou hru, tys lten rek!
rastn den! Avej, ava!
Ves chortal svtn skek.
Bylo smano, lep svihl tlov
se batoumali v dlnici,
chrudon byli borolov
na mamn krsy rnc.
From an edition published Svoboda, Prague, 1947.

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Tlachapoud
Aloys & Hana Skoumal

Je svaveer. Lyspern jezeleni

se vrn vrtej v mokav.
Vetcha hadrouci jsou roztruchleni
a selvy syt tesknoskuhrav.
Stez se, stez Tlachapouda, mil synu,
m tlamu zubatou a ostr drp.
Ptk Zlokrv u se t na hostinu,
vzteklit h na t Pentlochap.
Me aroun vytrh, pevn sevel v dlani
a v lese stopoval ty chvostnatce,
pak pod strom Tumtum used v zadumn
a hotovil se k div arvtce.
A kdy tak zachmurdn odpoval,
tu z huatho lesa Tlachapoud
tam vtrhl umohvizdn jako pval
a s vrouknm chtl ho napadnout.
Rz narz sekal, mik! mik! v stnu strom
arounem mval stle ltji,
a hlavu ual mu a potom dom
se harcoslavn vrtil s trofej.
Poj na m prsa, vak to byla tra
s tm Tlachapoudem, chlap jsi od kosti.
Oj ndhernajs, oj bata. Hoja! hur!
a pochruchval samou radost.
Je svaveer. Lyspern jezeleni
se vrnex vrtej v mokav.
Vetcha hadrouci jsou roztruchleni
a selvy syt tesknoskuhrav.
Published Albatros, Prague, 1961, 1988 (4th edition).

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WORKSHEET ONE

Word

Carroll's Explanation

Humpty Dumpty's Explanation

The time of broiling dinner, i.e., the close of Four o'clock in the afternoon -- the time when you begin
the afternoon.
broiling things for dinner.
(compounded of slimy and lithe). Smooth
and active.

Lithe and slimy. Lithe is the same as 'active.' ... It's like a
portmanteau -- there are two meanings packed up into one
word.

a species of badger. They had smooth white Something like badgers -- they're something like lizards -hair, long hind legs, and short horns like a
and they are something like corkscrews. ... They make their
stag; lived chiefly on cheese.
nests under sundials -- also they live on cheese.
verb (derived from gyaour or giaour, 'a
dog'). To scratch like a dog.

To go round and round like a gyroscope.

To screw out holes in anything.

To make holes like a gimlet.

(derived from the verb to swab or soak). The The grass plot round a sundial ... because it goes a long way
side of a hill (from its being soaked by the before it, and a long way behind it ... and a long way
rain.)
beyond it on each side.
Unhappy.

Flimsy and miserable.

An extinct kind of parrot. They had no

wings, beaks turned up, and made their nests A thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all
under sundails; lived on veal.
round -- something like a live mop.
I think it's short for 'from home' -- meaning that they'd lost
their way.
a sort of green pig.
something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of
sneeze in the middle.
Jubjub
Slithy
Bandersnatch
Wabe
Gyre
Brillig
Outgrabe
Borogove

Gimble
Frumious
Mimsy
Rath
Mome
Uffish
Manxome
Tove

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WORKSHEET TWO

- A swift moving creature with snapping jaws. Capable of extending its neck.
- Possibly a mixture of "bleat", "murmur", and "warble". (an actual word, circa 1303, meaning to form
bubbles as in boiling water.)
- Laugh in a breathy, gleeful way; cuckle (Definition from Oxford American Dictionary) A combination
of "chuckle" and "snort."
- Delightful; joyous (Definition from Oxford American Dictionary)
- Combination of "fuming" and "furious."
- Moving in a clumsy, ponderous, or noisy manner. Perhaps a blend of "gallop" and "triumph."
(Definition from Oxford American Dictionary)
- A desperate bird that lives in perpetual passion.
- Combination of "monstrous" and "fearsome"; possibly related to the Manx cat.
- Something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle. Since the verse is in
past tense, this is probably a form derived from a strong verb.
- A combination of a badger, a lizard, and a corkscrew. They are very curious looking creatures which
make their nests under sundials. They live on cheese.
- A state of mind when the voice is gruffish, the manner roughish, and the temper huffish.
The grass plot around a sundial that goes a long way before it, and a long way behind it, and a long
way beyond it on each side.

Jubjub
Wabe
Frabjous
Rath
Bandersnatch
Uffish
Frumious
Slithy

Chortled
Gimble
Manxome
Tove
Burbled
Borogove
Outgrabe
Galumphing

105